Prof. Klockgether studied medicine at the University of Göttingen and during this time also carried out research at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine. After graduating, he went to Oldenburg for clinical training and then returned to the Max Planck Institute to work in basic research on Parkinson's disease. He completed his specialist training in Tübingen, where he also began to focus on degenerative ataxias, in addition to pursuing research on Parkinson’s disease. These research lines evolved very successfully during his appointment in Bonn as Chairman of Department of Neurology. Prof. Klockgether has been the Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn from 2008 to 2011. Since February 2010 he has been Speaker of the Zentrum für seltene Erkrankungen Bonn (ZSEB) and since May 2011 Director of Clinical Research at the DZNE.