Francis Martin is Distinguished Research Director at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (Inra) in Nancy, France, Head of the Cluster of excellence ARBRE and Distinguished Professor at the Beijing Forestry University, China. He earned his doctorates in Plant Sciences from Nancy and Paris-Sud Universities. He conducted postdoctoral and sabbatical research at at the University of California Los Angeles, CSIRO-Perth, USDA Atlantic Research Center and Western Sydney University. His main research topics include developmental pathways in mycorrhizal symbioses, fungal evolution, comparative and paleogenomics, and forest ecology. His research focuses on understanding how fungi drive forest ecosystems through their roles in important processes including symbiosis, nutrient turnover as well as soil carbon sequestration and cycling.