Robert Carl Thunell (February 16, 1951 – July 30, 2018) was an American oceanographer.
Born in Queens, New York City, on February 16, 1951, to parents Carl and Betty Hornbacher Thunell, Robert Thunell attended Brown University, where he played lacrosse and earned a bachelor's degree in geology/biology.
Thunell pursued graduate study in oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.
Upon earning his doctorate, Thunell became a postdoctoral fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, after which he joined the University of South Carolina faculty in 1979.
Five years later, Thunell was appointed a Carolina Distinguished Professor.