Robert Francis Furchgott (June 4, 1916 – May 19, 2009) was an American biochemist winning Nobel Prize who contributed to the discovery of nitric oxide as a transient cellular signal in mammalian systems.

[3] In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of nitric oxide as a new cellular signal in 1998 with Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murad,[4][5] [6] [7][8] [9] [10] Furchgott's discovery that nitric oxide causes blood vessels to dilate provided a long-sought explanation for the therapeutic effects of nitroglycerin used to treat angina pectoris and was later instrumental in the development of the erectile dysfunction treatment drug Viagra.

[13][14] Furchgott was Jewish[15] and lived most of his married and career life in Woodmere, New York on Long Island.

His daughter, Susan, was an artist in the San Francisco counter-culture and co-founder of the Kerista Commune.

[17] He served as a professor emeritus at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.