Scientific celebrity

A scientific celebrity is a person who gains celebrity status in the media by representing their own scientific interests. Such promotion can be self-serving in nature, can be at the behest of governmental or corporate interests or even to promote the science involved.

With every new scientific discovery various people have long been known for their contributions to knowledge, medicine and methods of transportation. Although this phenomenon has undergone a recent upsurgence (coincidental with the rise of celebrity culture), it is by no means new and the list of scientific celebrities is long.

Many other people have become known to the public as a result of media promotion. Heads of state, heads of governmental units and religious leaders have long enjoyed this attention in representing interests other than their own.

Media celebrities

Some television presenters such as Richard Attenborough, Patrick Moore and David Attenborough have scientific qualifications, and some like Bill Nye have engineering qualifications,^[1] but these presenters are primarily known for their own presentations of scientific topics rather than their contributions to the advance of scientific knowledge. Additionally, some celebrities are known for their roles in the media but not for their work in science, for example Mayim Bialik, child star from television show Blossom who has a PhD in neuroscience. For a list of persons who have made major discoveries in the sciences, see the articles for specific areas of scientific knowledge and discovery.

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