---
title: "List of people considered father or mother of a scientific field"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_considered_father_or_mother_of_a_scientific_field"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:00:49.942931+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

The following is a list of people who are considered a "father" or "mother" (or "founding father" or "founding mother") of a scientific field. Such people are generally regarded to have made the first significant contributions to and/or delineation of that field; they may also be seen as "a" rather than "the" father or mother of the field. Debate over who merits the title can be perennial.


== Science as a whole ==


== Natural sciences ==


=== Biology ===


=== Chemistry ===


=== Earth sciences ===


=== Medicine and physiology ===


=== Physics and astronomy ===


== Formal sciences ==


=== Mathematics ===


=== Systems theory ===


== Social sciences ==


=== Economics ===


==== Schools of thought ====


==== Theories ====


== See also ==
Founders of statistics


== Notes ==


== References ==