François Diederich (9 July 1952 – 23 September 2020)[1] was a Luxembourgish chemist specializing in organic chemistry.

He obtained both his diploma and PhD (first synthesis of Kekulene) from the University of Heidelberg in 1977 and 1979, respectively.

After postdoctoral studies with Orville L. Chapman at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and habilitation at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, he became Full Professor of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry at UCLA in 1989.

He retired on 31 July 2017, and remained a research-active professor at ETH Zurich.

On 16 March 2019, the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, GDCh) bestowed him with their highest recognition, Honorary Membership.