Gregor Mendel was a pioneering geneticist who is often referred to as the 'Father of Genetics'. He conducted experiments with pea plants in the mid-1800s and developed the laws of inheritance, which laid the foundation for modern genetics. His work was largely unrecognized until the early 1900s. Mendel's experiments with pea plants showed that traits are inherited in a predictable manner and that they can be passed from one generation to the next. His discoveries revolutionized the field of genetics and paved the way for further research into the mechanisms of heredity.