Robert E. Hegel is an American sinologist renowned for his specialization in the fiction of late imperial China. Born on January 9, 1943, Hegel made significant contributions to the academic study of Chinese literature.

He taught at Washington University in St. Louis from 1975 until his retirement in the spring of 2018. In 2006, he was honored with the title of Liselotte Dieckman Professor of Comparative Literature and Professor of Chinese.

In recognition of his outstanding work, the Institut de France, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres awarded him the Prix Stanislas Julien in 2000 for his publication Reading Illustrated Fiction in Late Imperial China.