Robert Kennicutt is an astronomer who studies star formation and the chemical evolution of galaxies. He is best known for his work on the Kennicutt–Schmidt law, which relates gas density to star formation rates, in addition to his role in constraining the value of the Hubble constant.

His other research highlights include the development of methods to characterise the evolution of distant, and highly redshifted, galaxies. He has led both the calibration of standard candles — astronomical objects with a known luminosity — to measure distances to galaxies, as well as studies of nearby star-forming galaxies across the wavelength spectrum. Alongside his research, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Astrophysical Journal from 1999–2006.

Robert has received many awards in recognition of his work, including the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics in 2007, and was a joint recipient of the Gruber Prize in Cosmology in 2009. He has been elected to the membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.