Robert Eugene Olson (January 23, 1919 – August 11, 2011) was an American biochemist and physician who researched nutrition.
His family descended from Swedish farmers in Värmland and Småland, with his grandparents immigrating to the United States in the mid-19th century.
While attending South High School in Minneapolis, his interests included physics and electronics, and he was an amateur radio operator.
He then attended Saint Louis University School of Medicine for a PhD in biochemistry under the advisorship of Edward Adelbert Doisy, graduating in 1944.
Thus, Olson had to change the subject of this thesis, as Doisy believed no one else in the department was qualified to oversee the choline research.
They married later that year when Olson arrived in St. Louis on break after finishing his basic training for the Navy.