Gregor Mendel is celebrated for his pioneering work in genetics. His meticulous experiments with pea plants led to the formulation of foundational principles of inheritance, including the concepts of dominant and recessive traits. Mendel's work laid the groundwork for modern genetics, although it was largely unrecognized during his lifetime. His attention to detail and systematic approach to experimentation marked him as an early scientist, whose ideas eventually revolutionized the field of biology.