A Geographer by training Frank also studied Geology, Sociology and Environmental Chemistry and obtained two doctoral degrees at the universities of Halle and Jena in the field of waterborne contaminant transport investigated in central Europe, southern Africa and northern Australia.
For over 20 years, Frank worked in South Africa with a focus on mining-related water issues as head of the rewatering research programme of the gold mining industry and later as professor at North-West University. Frank conducted numerous high-level projects on behalf of various Departments of the South African Government including Water and Sanitation, Mineral Resources and Energy and the National Nuclear Regulator as well as in conjunction with UN-Organisations incl. WHO, IARC, IAEA and UNESCO. In 2013, Frank was appointed as Co-Chief Assessor of Phase VII of its International Hydrological Programme.
Since 2016, Frank serves as elected Chair of the IGU-Commission for Water Sustainability, which he joined in 2002. In over 25 years he authored and co-authored over 200 publications and research reports and acted as a reviewer for a range of international journals and various national and international science funding organisations.
In 2019, Frank returned to his home country Germany where he joined the state-owned Wismut GmbH that specialises in remediating uranium legacy sites. As part of national and international research consortia Wismut is actively involved in water-related research projects in Europe, Southern Africa, Central Asia and South America.