William Nicol (1768 - 2.09.1851) was a Scottish scientist. He was born in Edinburgh. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he later became a professor.
His research was on optics, the structure of crystals, petrology and palaeontology. In 1828 he invented the first polariser, a device for producing linearly polarised light (the Nicol prism), and in 1839 he combined two such prisms in a single instrument, which is still widely used today.