Experimentalist

"Experimentalist" is a blanket term for all sorts of scientists engaged more in experimental activity than in the theoretical side of their sciences.

The word is essentially equivalent to "experimenter." The latter word, however, emphasizes what the person is actually doing; "experimentalist," by contrast, highlights what the person likes to do or finds important.

"Experimentalist" is also used in reference to a personality type that builds up gradually to a work. Here the term is not limited to science, but is frequently used in relation to artists. Famous "experimentalists" could include Cézanne, Mark Twain or Robert Frost. The opposite of being an Experimentalist is to be a Conceptualist.

Colloquially, an Experimentalist has been defined as "one who prefers to ascertain by finding out."

References

• Wired Article talking about the "Types of Genius"

David W. Galenson, Old Masters and Young Geniuses (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006). David W. Galenson, Artistic Capital (New York and London: Routledge, 2006).