Father of Natural sciences

List of people considered father or mother of a scientific field

Those known as the father or mother of a scientific field are considered to be the founder of that scientific field. In some fields several people are considered the founders, while in others the title of being the "mother" or "father" is debatable. The father of science is Thales.

Father of Natural sciences

Biology

Subject Father/mother of … Reason
Bacteriology Robert Koch, Ferdinand Cohn, Louis Pasteur (founders)
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 
For their studies and scientific findings on bacteria and algae.
First to produce precise, correct descriptions of bacteria.
Biogeography Alfred Russel Wallace Wallace shows the impact of human activity on the natural world.
Biology Aristotle
Entomology Jan Swammerdam (founder)
Johan Christian Fabricius William Kirby 
(Fabricius): Described and published information on over 10,000 insects, and refined Linnaeus's system of classification.
Evolution Charles Darwin Publication: On the Origin of Species
Genetics Gregor Mendel
William Bateson (founder)
For his study of the inheritance of traits in pea plants, which forms the basis for Mendelian inheritance.
Proponent of Mendelism.
Ichthyology Peter Artedi
Lichenology Erik Acharius
Microbiology Antonie van Leeuwenhoek The first to microscopically observe micro-organisms in water and the first to see bacteria
Molecular biology Linus Pauling
Molecular biophysics Gopalasamudram Narayana Iyer Ramachandran Founded the Molecular Biophysics Unit (1970)
Natural selection Charles Darwin Publication: On the Origin of Species
Neuroscience Santiago Ramón y Cajal
(founder)
For his formation of neuron doctrine
Paleontology George Cuvier
Protozoology Antonie van Leeuwenhoek First to produce precise, correct descriptions of protozoa.
Taxonomy Carolus Linnaeus
(founder)
Naming of living organisms that became universally accepted in the scientific world
Toxicology Paracelsus
Virology Martinus Beijerinck
(founder)
His studies of agricultural microbiology and industrial microbiology yielded fundamental discoveries in the field of biology