Dr. Jens Auer is a maritime archaeologist with over 25 years of experience in the field. After studying archaeology in Greifswald, Germany, he worked as an archaeologist and commercial diver in Germany. From 2003 he led commercial maritime archaeology projects in the UK before moving to Denmark in 2007. He helped to establish the Maritime Archaeology Master Programme at the University of Southern Denmark, where he taught as associate professor. Currently, Jens holds the position of maritime archaeologist at the state authority for culture and monuments in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In this role, he is responsible for managing submerged cultural heritage in inland waters and the Baltic Sea, as well as the conservation of waterlogged material.

In addition to implementing measures for the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage in the rapidly expanding offshore industry, his research interests include developing efficient 3D recording methods in maritime archaeology and studying Medieval and Postmedieval ship construction. Jens is affiliated with the University of Rostock, where he teaches Maritime Archaeology to Bachelor and Master students.