Springer received his MSc in biology from the University of Regensburg in Germany in 1999, and earned his doctoral degree in biochemistry from the Ludwig Maximilian University in 2005. For more than 15 years, he has studied the molecular and cellular mechanisms linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) and related disorders. Springer has helped to identify the PINK1/Parkin-directed mitochondrial quality control pathway, which serves to remove damaged mitochondria - energy generators - from the cell. His recent work highlights the relevance of this process, known as mitophagy, as well as the contribution of certain changes in the PINK1 gene to disease. Besides these studies, his laboratory is searching for ways to diagnose and treat diseases that have mitochondrial damage in common.