After studying in Bonn (Ph.D. 2010) he received his current position as an assistant professor for Social Cognition: Social Psychology at the University of Cologne. His research interests range from basic cognitive processes to intergroup phenomena like prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination. In his research he explores (among many other topics) the foundations of social influence, self-regulatory behavior and the interplay of automatic and controlled precursors of human behavior, that is the combined result of human impulses and desires with their deliberative ideas of how they and everyone else should behave.