John Emery Murdoch (May 10, 1927 – September 16, 2010) was an American academic. Educated in philosophy at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, Murdoch spent most of his career at Harvard University. At Harvard, he was Professor of History of Science and Chair of the Department from 1966 to 1971 and 1974 to 1975. He specialized in ancient and medieval medicine and philosophy, and published numerous materials on the topic. Murdoch was awarded the George Sarton Medal in 2009 for his scholarship.