Rolf Martin Zinkernagel AC (born 6 January 1944) is a professor of experimental immunology at the University of Zurich.

Along with Peter C. Doherty, he shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells.

Together with the Australian Peter C. Doherty he received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells.

The MHC was previously identified as being responsible for the rejection of incompatible tissues during transplantation.

Zinkernagel and Doherty discovered that the MHC was responsible for the body fighting meningitis viruses too.