At the interface of motor cognition, learning/training, and technology, Cornelia Frank researches the contribution of movement execution, imagination, and observation to movement learning and how new technologies can be used to support teaching and learning in sport, school, health, and work, including against the background of developmental processes across the lifespan.

Based on her interdisciplinary work on assistance systems in the field of human-robotic interaction / cognitive interaction technology at CITEC (Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology) at Bielefeld University, a central focus of her research is the individualization and extension of movement learning, especially with the help of virtual and augmented reality.

Cornelia Frank's research primarily uses (quasi-) experimental designs in real and virtual environments and natural sciences measurement techniques to analyze movement and cognition, such as methods of 3D motion analysis, mobile eye-tracking, memory analysis, and virtual reality / augmented reality, in order to draw conclusions about specific aspects of motor control and learning as well as motor development in humans.
Before joining the University of Bremen, Cornelia Frank was head of the Sport and Movement Department at the Institute of Sport and Movement Sciences at the University of Osnabrück.