Science is done by scientists —but that actually includes a much wider range of people and roles than most popular images of “a person in a white lab coat.”

Quick Scoop: Who Does Science?

At its core, science is a systematic way of building and organizing knowledge about the universe using testable explanations and predictions. The people who do this work are scientists, who conduct research to advance understanding in fields like physics, biology, chemistry, psychology, and many more.

Scientists today usually work in teams, often across countries and institutions, rather than as lone geniuses having sudden “Eureka!” moments. Their work appears in the scientific record—papers, data sets, conferences—where other scientists critique, replicate, refine, or sometimes overturn their results.

So… who counts as a scientist?

A scientist is generally someone who:

  • Uses observation, experiments, or models to investigate questions about how things work.
  • Follows the scientific method (or related systematic approaches) to test ideas and hypotheses.
  • Publishes or shares results so others can evaluate and build on them.
  • Has training or expertise in a scientific discipline, often via university degrees, but sometimes through non‑traditional paths.

Modern science includes many branches: natural sciences (like physics, chemistry, biology), social sciences (like economics, sociology, psychology), and formal sciences (like mathematics and theoretical computer science, often adjacent to but not identical with experimental science).

Many kinds of “people who do science”

People who “do science” are not all the same type of professional.

Examples of roles that involve doing science:

  • University researchers running experiments, simulations, or fieldwork.
  • Industry R&D scientists developing new materials, drugs, technologies, or algorithms.
  • Policy scientists who apply scientific evidence to shape laws, regulations, and government decisions.
  • Regulator scientists who evaluate safety and reliability of technologies and environments.
  • Teacher scientists (school, college, university) who teach and also sometimes do research, training the next generation.

The Science Council, for example, explicitly distinguishes types such as “investigator scientists,” “policy scientists,” “regulator scientists,” and “teacher scientists,” to show that scientific work happens in labs, offices, classrooms, and government—not just at lab benches.

Why it matters who does science

Science is a human, social process, shaped by the backgrounds and experiences of the people involved. Scientists bring their own perspectives, biases, and life histories, which can influence:

  • What questions get asked.
  • Which problems are treated as urgent.
  • How data are interpreted and which explanations seem plausible.

Editorial and commentary work in top journals has emphasized that “who does science” affects the quality and fairness of scientific outcomes, and that team diversity can improve the robustness and relevance of results.

Is science only for professionals?

While professional scientists drive most formal research, non‑professionals can and do contribute:

  • Citizen science projects where volunteers collect data (e.g., observing wildlife, classifying images).
  • Online communities where enthusiasts discuss and share new scientific papers, explanations, and questions about current research.

These activities are part of a broader ecosystem in which science is not just something done by a small elite, but an ongoing, collaborative effort involving many different kinds of contributors.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.