pioneer

Machine-translated from the German article

A pioneer (a loanword from Middle French and French pionnier, "sapper", figuratively also "trailblazer" and "champion") is, in the field of research, a person who takes a leading role in a particular area, having achieved something groundbreaking and thereby paved the way for further scientific work and findings. The term "pioneer" arose in the 17th century from the French word pion, meaning foot soldier (< Latin pes, "foot").