Reinhard Barkmann started his scientific work in marine acoustics and received his M. Sc. degree in physics in 1979 and his Ph.D. degree in 1982 from Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel, Germany. Since 1984 he worked on a joint research project of the Institute of Applied Physics and the University Clinics in Kiel in the application of acoustical methods to the human skeleton. In 1995 he joined the Medical Physics Research Group of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel. His scientific interest is the application of physical measurement methods to medical diagnostics with a main focus on ultrasonic characterization of bone properties. His research encompasses a wide spectrum from basic research to the development of new clinical diagnostic devices.