Martin Franz's research focuses on the effects of major societal and economic changes, particularly economic structural transformation, digitization, processes of globalization, and sustainability transition, as well as the resulting responses of affected individuals, companies, and institutions. He is particularly interested in how various groups of actors attempt to influence societal and economic changes and how they adapt themselves or their activities to these processes, including dealing with environmental risks.

After studying geography, sociology, and cartography in Bochum, Martin Franz worked at the Center for Interdisciplinary Ruhr Area Research (now Regional Research) in Bochum from 2002 to 2006. He then moved to the Department of Geography at Philipps-Universität Marburg. There, he completed his Ph.D. in 2008 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Bernhard Butzin, with a thesis titled "Brownfield Development in Europe and the Institutional Dimension of Sustainability, Illustrated by the Example of Upper Silesia." In 2011, he obtained his habilitation on the topic of "Changing Power Structures in Agro-Food Networks - Case Studies from India." In the winter semester of 2013/14, he held a temporary professorship in Economic Geography at the University of Bayreuth. Since October 2014, he has been a professor of Human Geography with a focus on Economic Geography at the University of Osnabrück.