Ingmar Franken is a full professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, affiliated with the Clinical Psychology group within the Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies. Currently, he serves as the head of the Center for Addiction and Substance Use Research (CESAR) in Rotterdam.

His research primarily focuses on the mechanisms underlying addiction and substance use. He is committed to a "From Lab to Society" research approach, which emphasizes bridging basic experimental research with clinical practice. He has presented his work at numerous international conferences and has successfully secured both governmental and private funding, including prestigious VENI and VIDI grants.

Throughout his career, he has supervised 28 PhD candidates to completion. He is a member of the management team of Generation R and a core team member of the GUTS consortium—two large-scale longitudinal studies in Rotterdam investigating child and adolescent development.

Professor Franken serves on several editorial boards and regularly reviews for a wide range of scientific journals and funding bodies, including the European Research Council (ERC). He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is the lead editor of the SAGE Handbook of Addiction Psychology, as well as two Dutch handbooks on psychopathology and addiction for professionals. 

Beyond academia, Franken serves on several boards, including as chairman of the foundation for licensing psychologists in clinical psychology and psychotherapy (Bopp-West). His expertise has led to regular invitations to serve on evaluation panels for European university programs and to provide advisory services to organizations such as the Netherlands Gambling Authority. He also maintains clinical practice as a psychologist at Ready for Change, a clinic specializing in addiction treatment.