Ron Hansen is an American novelist, essayist, and professor.

Hansen was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and earned a Bachelor's degree in English from Creighton University. He then went on to graduate studies, receiving his MFA at the University of Iowa and receiving another Masters Degree from Stanford University.

As of 2006 he is the Gerald Manley Hopkins Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Santa Clara University, where he teaches courses in writing and literature. He is married to the writer Bo Caldwell and is the stepfather of her two children, John Scott "Scotty" Caldwell Arnold and Kate Arnold. Scotty attends Hansen's place of employment, Santa Clara University, and Kate is pursuing her medical degree at Georgetown University.