Gunther Siegmund Stent (March 28, 1924 – June 12, 2008[1]) was a graduate professor of molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley.

An early bacteriophage biologist, he was known also for his studies on the metabolism of bacteria and neurobiology of leeches, and for his writing on the history and philosophy of biology.

[2] In 1949, Stent joined the so-called phage group that coalesced around Max Delbrück at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Informal discussions among these workers on the progress of their research led to a book by Stent, entitled Molecular Biology of Bacterial Viruses (dedicated to Delbrück), which was an account of the state of accomplishments in the field up to 1963.

[citation needed] He was also known for his works on the progress of science, especially his 1969 lectures at Berkeley, published as The Coming of the Golden Age.