I'm an arachnologist studying the biogeography and conservation, ecology and taxonomy of Western Palearctic spiders (Araneae) and some other taxa. My main interests are crab spiders (Thomisidae) and running crab spiders (Philodromidae), wolf spiders (Lycosidae) and ground spiders (Gnaphosidae). I'm affiliated with the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe (SMNK), but also work as a freelancer in conservation and monitoring.

Feel free to ask if you need an ID for a (legally) collected spider specimen that seems interesting to you or might be an important record for the region. You can send it to me, I will have a look at it. Monitoring is very important for red lists and conservation, but most spider species are heavily undersampled throughout their distribution.

I am frequently doing fieldwork in Baden-Württemberg, Rheinland-Pfalz and adjacent French regions. If you want to join me on one of my field trips, let me know.

Please be aware of the fact that spider taxonomy is a dynamic and complex field. The collection of voucher specimens for scientific purposes will always be necessary and does not harm species or populations. So, don't be shy and try it (but please get a permit first if necessary in your region). If you need help with anything related to arachnid sampling, feel free to ask me.

If you're interested what my research is about, please have a look at the publications on my google scholar-profile.