Robert W. Cairns (1909-1985) was an American chemist who worked at Hercules and at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

He attended the six-week advanced management program at Harvard Business School.

In 1968, he was appointed president of the American Chemical Society and then in 1972 named executive director.

[3] After retiring from Hercules in 1971, he became deputy assistant secretary for science and technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

[1] Cairns led innovation in propellants for military rockets and in the photographic recording of explosive reactions.