I guess that's a possibility. A lot of people in the life sciences from Europe spend some time in the US after university and PhD (or sometimes do the PhD in the US), and the Bay Area is one of the more obvious choices, not just because it's a nice place... In the lab I was working, I think Americans were always a clear minority, even when the boss and the clerical staff was taken into account.

I remember when I was in the US watching some soccer match at the house of a German colleague. He had another German friend to visit who I hadn't met before. During the conversation, it turned out that his cousin had be been working with me during her diploma thesis when I did my PhD.

That said, I don't think I know anyone teaching in Bayreuth.
:alcoholic