Born 1953, study of naval architecture 1971-76 at the Technical University of Berlin, research on the computer-aided optimisation of streamlined shapes, PhD in 1983. 1984-87 consulting engineer for companies of the automobile industry and the German standardisation institute. Since 1988 teaching (CAD, industrial design) and research (system theory and design theory) at the University of Arts Berlin and at the University of Wuppertal. 1994 lecturing qualification (Habilitation) in design theory. 1994 – 2001 professor for "process design" at the University of Art and Design Halle / Burg Giebichenstein. Since 10/2001 professor for “design theory” at the University of the Arts Bremen.

Focus of interest: design theory as meta theory, design methods in a systemic perspective, scenario planning. Numerous publications on theoretical and practical aspects of designing, for example "Design - System - Theorie: Überlegungen zu einem systemtheoretischen Modell von Designtheorie" (1994) and "Mind the gap! - on knowing and not-knowing in Design" (2004), also publications on the history of naval architecture in Nordfriesland (1990) and on the aesthetics of modern ships (1991).