Frank Maixner is a German microbiologist. He was educated at the Technical University of Munich and the University of Vienna where he obtained in 2009 his PhD in Microbial Ecology. From 2009 on Frank Maixner works at the EURAC Institute for Mummy Studies in Bolzano, Italy. The Institute gathers and coordinates all currently available scientific data on the Iceman and various other mummies. Frank Maixner built up the ancient DNA facility at the Institute. This aDNA laboratory provides an excellent basis to carry out research at the intersection between archaeology/anthropology and molecular biology. The main focus of Maixner´s studies are genomic and relationship analysis of ancient human remains and the diagnosis of ancient pathogens to predict disease onsets and developments. Furthermore, with the metagenomic study of ancient human microbiomes he aims to provide novel insights into the composition and possible changes of human microbial communities over the last millennia. These studies are complemented by histological investigations, and he seeks to constantly improve and develop molecular methods adapted to ancient DNA research.