Thread: Current Under-appreciated Scientists Doing Cool Research?

Hi everyone,

I'm a journalist who is working on a forthcoming piece about current under appreciated scientists. I have a few people in mind, but I wanted to make sure I posted in this community to make sure I'm not missing any one who is doing awesome research that hasn't gotten the credit they deserve. And I'm not talking about people who are curing cancer. I'm interested to hear about scientists doing work to solve every day problems - like eradicating head lice or blending science with food to make amazing culinary inventions.

I'm looking for people who could be eligible for something like the Ig Nobel Prize - imaginative researchers looking to make the world a better place through perhaps odd means.

If you know any one who hasn't received the praise they deserve and is doing great work in any scientific field at the moment, please reply here. Your feedback would be very much appreciated.

A little more about me: I'm an L.A.-based journalist whose work has appeared in national and international magazines and newspapers. My work generally concentrates on culture, marginalized and under-reported communities, social justice issues and ideas and people on the fringe. If you'd like to see my portfolio or understand more about what I do, feel free to message me. Thanks so much.

The most obvious of Nobel prize quality which comes to mind is James Hansen, for being ahead of the climate change science for more than 3 decades. This summer's paper Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences extraordinary. But he's already pretty well known and a common target for the denial machine.

I'd echo the recommendation for Hansen. (Funnily enough there's criticism today for him being too cautious and sciencey in the way he described dangers from climate change in his last paper.)

But he's never going to be a contender for an Ig Nobel.

Julie Brigham-Grette

(My current favorite 50ft tall woman)
Julie Brigham-Grette presents Lake El' gygytgyn Research - YouTube

a real scientist doing real paleoclimate research