Eduard Oscar Schmidt (February 21, 1823 – January 17, 1886) was a German zoologist born in Torgau.
He initially studied mathematics and science at Halle, then continued his education in Berlin, where he came under the influence of Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg and Johannes Peter Müller. In 1847 he received his habilitation at the University of Jena, and in 1855 was appointed professor of zoology at the University of Cracow. Later he taught classes at the Universities of Graz (from 1857) and Strasbourg (from 1872).
Schmidt was an early proponent of Darwinian evolutionary thought. He is remembered for his research of Porifera (sponges), particularly species from the Adriatic Sea.