Pál Selényi (17.02.1884-21.03.1954) was a Hungarian physicist and a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1948). In 1902 - 06 he studied at Budapest University, where he also worked in 1907 — 18, and in 1921 —40 he worked at a research laboratory. From 1949 he was at the Physical Institute of Budapest University.
His research was in the field of optics, technical physics and gravitation. He studied the diffraction, interference and polarisation of light, in particular the possibility of observing the interference of light beams with a large angular aperture, and the Kerr and Faraday effects. He studied the physical processes in incandescent lamps, in rarefied gases, in gas discharges and electron beams, in photocells and in selenium rectifiers. A number of his works concerned electron diffraction. He extended Eötvös's gravitational experiments.