Dr. François-Xavier Laurent holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Paris-Saclay. During the first part of his scientific career, he focused on neuromuscular genetic diseases. He then pursued his postdoctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to apply his expertise to the research of new therapeutic strategies for Huntington’s disease. He was recruited in 2013 by the French Forensic Police as Head of Research & Development in Forensic genetics. He managed a team of technicians and engineers to develop innovative methods including DNA phenotyping and next-generation sequencing, applied to criminal investigations. Since 2020, he has been the DNA Database manager at the INTERPOL General Secretariat based in Lyon, in charge of the INTERPOL DNA Database & I-Familia, a new dedicated DNA database to identify missing persons globally using DNA from their relatives. François-Xavier Laurent has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in forensic and medical genetics fields over the past 10 years and has received several honors and awards, including the Interior Security Medal from the French Ministry of the Interior in 2018.