Since 2002 he is professor of microbiology at the Goethe University Frankfurt with a focus on the physiology and genetics of lower eukaryotes.
From 1985 to 1990, he studied Chemistry and Biology at the University of Cologne and completed his studies with a diploma in Biology with a diploma thesis on the uptake and secretion of amino acids in Corynebacterium glutamicum at the Institute for Biotechnology of the Forschungszentrum Jülich ("Jülich Research Centre") in the research group of Reinhard Krämer.
From 1990 to 1994, Boles worked as a scientific assistant at the Institute of Microbiology and Genetics at the Technical University of Darmstadt in the research group of Friedrich K. Zimmermann, where he received his doctorate in 1994 with a thesis on the regulation of glycolysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
From November 2011 till September 2024 he was W3 Professor of Microbiology with a focus on Physiology and Genetics of Lower Eukaryotes at the same institute.
These are contributions to original research as well as review articles on central topics in molecular biology and biotechnology.