Robert Shaler

Robert C. Shaler is a forensic scientist and author best known for leading major DNA analysis efforts in New York City and for writing about the science behind those cases in an accessible way. Publisher and Penn State profiles describe him as the former director of the Forensic Biology Department at New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where he served from 1990 until retiring in 2005.

After that, he joined Pennsylvania State University, where he served as professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and founding director of the forensic science program. Penn State also credited him with supervising the large-scale DNA testing used to help identify victims of the September 11 attacks, work that shaped his book Who They Were: Inside the World Trade Center DNA Story: The Unprecedented Effort to Identify the Missing.

Penn State notes that his career also included research contributions in bloodstain evidence and fingerprint development, alongside a reputation for strong teaching. Across his writing, he is known for explaining forensic science in a direct, grounded way that connects technical detail with the people behind the evidence.