Harald zur Hausen is a German virologist and professor emeritus. He has done research on cervical cancer and discovered the role of papilloma viruses, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008.

From 1983 until 2003 zur Hausen served as a chairman and member of the scientific advisory board of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ in German) in Heidelberg and professor of medicine at the University of Heidelberg. He also is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Cancer. He is author of the book Infections Causing Human Cancer. On 1 January 2010 zur Hausen became the president of the German Cancer Aid, the leading organization fighting cancer in Europe, founded by Doctor Mildred Scheel, the late First Lady of Germany.