He studied psychology but has long been a journalist, author, blogger and editor in the investigative department in Zeit and Zeit Online.
His work is primarily focused on IT security and surveillance. He also writes about terrorism, the secret services and police work.
Biermann received two Grimme Online Awards in 2011 for his blog and the work on the interactive graphic Verräterisches Handy.
In 2016, with a team from Zeit Online and Zeit, he got the Reporter Prize for investigations into the perpetrators who set refugee homes on fire. As a member of an international team of reporters documenting the worldwide abuse of NSO’s Pegasus spy program, he won several international awards.
Biermann is the author of several non-fiction books. With Thomas Wiegold, he co-authored ‘Drones – Opportunities and Dangers of a New Technology’.