Biography

Frank is currently Dean of the Biosciences Institute at Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, United Kingdom. His research focuses on bacterial hydrogen metabolism and bacterial protein targeting and secretion systems. His research team is funded by BBSRC and EPSRC.

Frank studied biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh (1988-1992) before completing a PhD under the supervision of Prof DH Boxer at the University of Dundee (1996). After jobs as a postdoctoral researcher at the John Innes Centre (Norwich, UK) and the University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK), Frank started his own independent research programme as a Royal Society University Research Fellow also at the School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia.

A successful spell as an Early Career Researcher led to the Fleming Medal (2006) and Colworth Medal (2007) before Frank was recruited as Professor of Bacterial Physiology to the College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee. Frank was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2011 and in 2012 took up the position of Associate Dean for Research-Led Teaching.

In 2018 Frank relocated to Newcastle University and joined the new School of Natural & Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering (SAgE). He was appointed Associate Dean for Research & Innovation in SAgE (2019-2022) before joining the Biosciences Institute in the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) as Deputy Dean. In September 2024 Frank was appointed Dean of the Biosciences Institute.