Patrick Forterre (French pronunciation: [patʁik fɔʁtɛʁ], born 21 August 1949) is a French biologist and writer. He had served as professor at Paris-Sud University and Pasteur Institute. He is known for his work on Archaea, viruses and the evolution of life. He was the first to use the acronym "LUCA" for the last universal common ancestor in a 1997 paper.