Frank trained as an experimental psychologist at Utrecht University, and he received a PhD from Nijmegen University in 1990. He is currently professor of psycholinguistics, in the department of Linguistics and at the department of Psychonomics at Utrecht University.
His research interests include language acquisition and processing in children and adults, especially in individuals at risk for dyslexia; the acquisition of Dutch morpho-syntax; the processing and interpretation of elliptic sentences in adults and children.