Franz Joseph Emil Fischer (19 March 1877 in Freiburg im Breisgau – 1 December 1947 in Munich) was a German chemist. He was the founder and first director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Coal Research. He is known for the discovery of the Fischer–Tropsch process.^[1]

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Franz Fischer
Franz Fischer (1911)
Born	(1877-03-19)19 March 1877 Freiburg, Baden, Germany
Died	1 December 1947(1947-12-01) (aged 70) Munich, Germany
Nationality	German
Alma mater	University of Gießen
Known for	Fischer–Tropsch process Fischer assay
Awards	Melchett Medal (1936) Wilhelm Exner Medal (1936)
Scientific career
Institutions	Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Coal Research
Doctoral advisor	Karl Elbs

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In 1925, he and Hans Tropsch discovered the Fischer–Tropsch process. This allowed for the production of liquid hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide and hydrogen with metal catalyst at temperatures of 150–300 °C (302–572 °F).

In 1930, he and Hans Schrader developed the Fischer assay, a standardized laboratory test for determining the oil yield from oil shale to be expected from a conventional shale oil extraction.^[2] He also worked with Wilhelm Ostwald and Hermann Emil Fischer.^[3] In 1913, he became the Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim.

He joined the NSDAP in 1933, and remained in office until his retirement in 1943.

• Wilhelm Exner Medal, 1936