Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky (Cyrillic: Александр Петрович Карпинский) (1846–1936) was a Russian and Soviet geologist and mineralogist. He studied and taught at the Mining Institute, St. Petersburg from 1869 to 1885 . He was imperial director (1885–1916) of mining research and was elected to the Academy of Sciences in 1886. He was president from 1916 until his death. His main research was chiefly done in the Urals, and he completed the first geological map of European Russia. He was able to preserve much scientific equipment and many invaluable records during the Russian Revolution.

The mineral karpinskyite is named in his honor.