I was born in Munich, Germany in 1969. After graduating from the University of Würzburg with a MS in Zoology I moved to the United States in 1996, obtained a PhD in Biology from Duke University in 2002, followed by a Postdoctoral Excellence in Research & Teaching Fellowship at the University of Arizona. In 2004 I joined the Biology faculty at Indiana University where I currently hold the position of Class of 1955 Endowed Professor. I am an evolutionary developmental biologist broadly interested in understanding why evolution has unfolded the way it has, how novel complex traits originated when they did, and the future of biodiversity on a rapidly changing planet. I am also the Director of the Holland Summer Science Programs dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in the sciences, I lead a Science Outreach Initiative for General and Special Education, and I serve on the Board of Directors of AFRISNET, a non-profit organization aimed to increase access of African students to US graduate programs. I am a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and hold the 2017 Fulbright Distinguished Chair for Science, Technology, and Innovation.