In Dresden I studied physics to diploma in elecron optics, started then to work in biophysics/bio-reactors and participated in the Soviet Mars programme, dealt with life-supporting systems/nutrition of the cosmonauts during the trip.
Then I dealt with the ocean and its (mainly vertical) mixing to find out the thermo-haline stratification of the water masses responsible for various important properties of water bodies.

The center of my interest was turbulence where I could find an important result for the von-Karman constant of turbulent boundary layers, kappa =1/SQRT(2pi) = 0.3989… People measure (Princeton superpipe) the value 0.4 +/- 0.02.