Stephan is the Head of the World Soil Museum and curator of the physical collections. He coordinates the related educational activities.

Stephan is an agronomist and soil scientist by education. He is an enthusiastic educator and lecturer on the soils of the world. He has more than 20 years of working experience in various countries around the globe, with a focus on South East Asia. Most of his work is dedicated to sustainable natural resources management, including projects on sustainable forest management in Indonesia and regional to global assessments of land degradation and conservation.