Olaf graduated in Environmental Sciences at the University of Lueneburg, Germany and co-ordinated scientific panel meetings for the European Union with the European Food Safety Authority for the German government. He then moved to Australia, where he completed a PhD in Marine Science at Griffith University. Olaf developed advanced short- and long-term tagging methods in marine environments receiving several awards for his work. He continued his work in the marine environment undertaking post-doctoral research with the Griffith Coastal and Marine Research Centre on the Gold Coast. Olaf was won multiple research grants for projects in costal ecology. He is currently managing and advancing the Whales and Climate Program, an international research initiative on the impacts of climate change on humpback whales. As the CEO and co-founder of Humpbacks & High-Rises Inc a not for profit research organisation dedicated to urban marine mammal research and protection, Olaf spends his spare time studying the health of humpback whales in south-east Queensland and leading marine expeditions.