Sébastien Marcel
Also known as Sebastien Marcel
Sébastien Marcel is a biometrics researcher at the Idiap Research Institute, where his work tests how face and speaker recognition systems hold up against presentation attacks. He completed a signal-processing PhD at Université de Rennes I in 2000 and joined Idiap as a research scientist in 2001. In 2010 he became head of the Biometrics Security and Privacy group, and in 2021 he took an external professorship at the University of Lausanne. Honours include an IAPR Best Paper Award in 2019 for work on custom silicon face masks and his elevation to IEEE Fellow in 2025. As of October 2026 he leads the Biometrics Security and Privacy group and directs the Swiss Center for Biometrics at Idiap.
- Now at
- Idiap Research Institute and University of Lausanne
- Works
- 471
- Citations
- 16,272
- h-index
- 65
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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1997–2000
A signal-processing PhD in Rennes
He completes a signal-processing PhD at Université de Rennes I in 2000, while working at CNET, the France Telecom research center that is now Orange Labs.
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2001–2009
Research scientist at Idiap
He works as a research scientist at the Idiap Research Institute from 2001 to 2009, on pattern recognition, machine learning and biometrics.
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2010
Heading a biometrics group
He becomes head of the Biometrics Security and Privacy group at Idiap in 2010. The group's work spans face, speaker and vein recognition, presentation attack detection, morphing attacks and deepfakes.
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2019
An IAPR best paper award
The International Workshop on Biometrics and Forensics gives him an IAPR Best Paper Award in 2019 for work on custom silicon face masks.
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2021
An external professorship at UNIL
He takes an external professorship at the University of Lausanne's School of Criminal Justice in 2021, with teaching and supervision in biometrics and forensic science.
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2023
A European Biometrics Research Award
The European Association for Biometrics gives him its European Biometrics Research Award in 2023 for work on measuring the linkability of protected biometric templates.
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2025
Elevated to IEEE Fellow
He is elevated to IEEE Fellow in 2025, and he is also an IAPR Fellow.
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As of October 2026
Directing the Swiss Center for Biometrics
As of October 2026 he leads the Biometrics Security and Privacy group at Idiap and directs the Swiss Center for Biometrics.
Sources and credits
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