I received my Ph.D. degree in biology from the University of Graz, Austria, in 1985. I entered the microbiology field as a postdoctoral fellow in Gregor Högenauer's Lab where I started to investigate molecular biological aspects of bacterial conjugation. Since 1999 I am a Professor of Microbiology, teaching undergraduate and graduate students.  

I am interested in structural, biochemical, and molecular characterization of conjugative plasmids which for horizontal DNA transfer utilize a dedicated type IV secretion system. One focus is on studying F-like conjugation modules, their fuctions, regulation and the relationship between the bacterial host cell and the resident conjugative plasmid. These modules are the vehicles for spread and persistence of cargo genes contributing to virulence and antibiotic resistance in bacteria, especially enterobacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.