Edmund Maser studied biology, sports, Russian, and education in Marburg, graduating with a state teaching certificate for secondary schools and a degree in biology. He then went on to study human biology (postgraduate studies in theoretical medicine). In 1990, he received his doctorate in pharmacology, toxicology, cell biology, molecular biology, and microbiology, and in 1995, he qualified as a professor in pharmacology and toxicology at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Marburg. In 2002, he took over the chair of the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology for Natural Scientists at the University Medical Center in Kiel, which he has headed as director ever since. He is a member of the two clusters of excellence “The Future Ocean” and “Inflammation at Interfaces.” His research focuses on reductive drug metabolism, where he established the field of pluripotent steroid oxidoreductases. He also identified the mechanism of steroid signaling in bacteria at the molecular level. Edmund Maser recently provided the world's first evidence that corroding ammunition from both world wars releases toxic explosives into the marine environment. For this work, he was awarded the “Toxicology” prize of the German Society of Toxicology in 2019. He has authored more than 180 original publications.