Robert Francis Scharff (9 July 1858 – 13 September 1934) was an English zoologist, known for his lifetime of work in Ireland and contributions to the understanding of Irish flora and fauna.

[3] Scharff was twice married, his first wife Alice Hutton died during the 1918 flu pandemic, they had two sons together.

[3] Scharff was appointed as an Assistant in the Natural History Division of the National Museum of Ireland in 1887, becoming Keeper in 1890.

[8] Scharff was a well-known figure in his time receiving many honours like the prize of Emperor Nicholas II in 1897, and he holding the Swiney lectureship in geology in London in 1906 and 1908.

Whilst a member of the Royal Irish Academy over a forty-year period, he served as vice-president, secretary for foreign correspondence, and chairman of the flora and fauna committee.