Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch (11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) is a German physician.

He becomes famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis (1877), the Tuberculosis bacillus (1882) and Vibrio cholerae (1883) and for his development of Koch's postulates.

He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1905 for his tuberculosis findings.

He is considered one of the founders of microbiology, inspiring such major figures as Paul Ehrlich and Gerhard Domagk.