Franz is dermatologist, chairman of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at the University Hospital of the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, and head of the Karl Landsteiner Institute of Dermatological Research, both in St. Poelten, Austria. He is specialist, researcher, and university teacher in clinical dermatology. His scientific interests concern the photobiology of human skin with a special emphasis on clinical photodermatology. Among other functions, he teaches at the ESP Photobiology School and has been associate editor of the journal “Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences” for many years. He is past president of the European Society for Photobiology and member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Photobiology.