Star formation is one of the most exciting fields in astrophysics, especially the formation of high-mass stars, which remains a puzzling subject. It is still debated whether the most massive stars form via similar disk-accretion processes like their low-mass counterparts, or whether different physical processes like competitive accretion or the coalescence of protostars come into play. Our work is dedicated to the investigation of the earliest stages of massive star formation with special application to the studies of potential massive disks, the initial fragmentation processes of high-mass star-forming regions, core chemistry, magnetic field properties and outflow/infall studies. High-mass star formation proceeds in a clustered mode at typically large distances, and thus high angular resolution is essential to spatially resolve the regions. Furthermore, young massive star-forming regions are strong line and continuum emitters at (sub)mm wavelengths. Therefore, we focus on interferometric studies at (sub)mm wavelengths (e.g., NOEMA, SMA, CARMA, ALMA).  These processes are studied for a sample of regions in the IRAM NOEMA large program CORE. This observational approach is accompanied by theoretical modeling of massive disks and their associated cores. The arrival of JWST opens a new window for star formation research, and we are involved in several guaranteed and open time projects.

In addition to these small-scale structure, the group also works on larger spatial scales associated with the formation of clouds as well as the Milky Way structure as a whole. For these questions, we are part of larger survey collaborations as well, for example, ATLASGAL or THOR that are conducted with observatories like APEX, VLA or Herschel.