Francesco Pocchiari (25 June 1924, Melfi - 2 January 1989, Rome) was an Italian chemist and pharmacologist, researcher in microbiology and biological chemistry.

He started as a researcher in 1949 at the Laboratory of Chemical Microbiology of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità together with Ernst Boris Chain.

[3] There also he collaborated with Rita Levi Montalcini who, together with Pocchiari, carried out fundamental research to guarantee her the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986.

[2] He also writes articles for medical journals such as Brain Research, Biochemical Journal, Lancet, Nature and is a member of Italian and international scientific committees such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Committee in Geneva, and the European Council for Medical Research in Strasbourg.

In honor of his memory, the Francesco Pocchiari Fellowship was established in 1991 with funds provided by the Italian Government.