Colin Munro MacLeod (1909-1972), a Canadian-American geneticist and microbiologist. He is recognized as one of the founders of molecular biology for his research concerning the role of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in bacteria. Macleod's earlier research focused on pneumonia and development of serums to treat it. He later became chairman of the department of microbiology at New York University, and also worked with a number of government agencies. The work of American geneticists Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty proving that DNA is the "transforming principle", the vehicle for passing hereditary information through generations, is very important to the field of forensic science.