Luc Montagnier was a French virologist and a joint recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). His early work was fundamental in identifying the virus as the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). He co-founded the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention and served as a director at the Pasteur Institute. In his later years, Montagnier became a controversial figure for promoting unproven and scientifically discredited claims.