Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Rashed Alghafri chose to work in the law enforcement sector because he considers it to be the most important pillar of a successful nation. As the first officer in the region to be granted the title of professor in forensic genetics, Dr. Alghafri bridges academia and the service sector. He is the founder of the Arabian Speaking Forensic Working Group, and he has worked on and supervised nearly 13,000 forensic cases, including high-profile homicides and long unsolved cases. 

Dr. Alghafri is the only officer who has been awarded the UAE Pioneer Award twice, the first time for his internationally recognized male DNA profiling tool (RM-Yplex), which has contributed immensely to solving many crimes around the world, as well as aiding humanitarian projects such as the identification of World War II victims in mass graves. He has been an actively contributing member of UAE Biosecurity consultant board since 2016. He was the first to be honored as the Knowledge Ambassador during the Knowledge Summit and the first to be selected for and graduate from the Impactful Leadership Program which was hosted by MBRCLD. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Alghafri developed the multiagency Micro Surveillance Team, which helped the government predict the spread of the virus and better focus its efforts.  Motivated by achieving his goals, Dr. Alghafri thrives in the challenging world of law enforcement and considers it an honor to serve justice and contribute to keeping his country safe. 

“Establishing a solid level of safety and security in a community is the only basis on which they can live in peace and prosper.”