He studied pure mathematics at the University of Bonn (1989), and wrote his dissertation on higher-order unification and automated theorem proving (1994, Saarland University). Since then, he has taken up research in applying techniques from automated deduction in natural language semantics. His current research interests include automated theorem proving and content-based markup techniques for mathematics and computer science, and natural language processing. He has pursued these interests during extended visits to Carnegie Mellon University, SRI International, and the Universities of Amsterdam and Edinburgh.