Professor Michael J. Thali
Specialist in Forensic Medicine (FMH)
Professor of Forensic Medicine
Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Michael Thali is an internationally recognized forensic physician and a pioneer in the development of modern forensic imaging. He is Professor of Forensic Medicine and the Relationship to Law at the University of Zurich and is widely known for his leading role in the development of Virtopsy®, an approach that integrates advanced imaging and digital technologies into forensic investigation.
His work has contributed significantly to the transformation of contemporary forensic practice by bringing together forensic medicine, radiology, engineering, digital technologies and law. His research and academic activities span forensic imaging, three-dimensional documentation and reconstruction, biomechanics, wound ballistics and emerging technologies in forensic investigation, while also addressing the broader relationship between medicine, law and society.
Biography
Prof. Thali has held the Chair of Forensic Medicine and the Relationship to Law at the University of Zurich since 2011. From 2011 to 2023, he served as Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Zurich. He previously served as Professor and Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Bern.
He is internationally associated with the development of Virtopsy®, which has helped establish post-mortem imaging and digital documentation as important components of modern forensic investigation. Through this work, he has contributed to the increasing integration of technology into forensic medicine and to new approaches for the documentation, interpretation and presentation of forensic evidence.
Beyond forensic imaging, Prof. Thali has been actively involved in interdisciplinary developments linking forensic medicine with law, healthcare and victim support. He has also contributed to the development of forensic nursing and postgraduate forensic education in Switzerland.
Prof. Thali is the founding president of the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging (ISFRI) and founder and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Forensic Imaging. He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and has authored or co-authored more than 250 scientific publications.
His career reflects a longstanding commitment to advancing forensic science through interdisciplinary collaboration and to strengthening the connections between medicine, technology, law and contemporary forensic practice.