Hot Scientist

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
April O'Neil, violating every possible lab safety rule.

"Meanwhile, at Supermodel Labs..."

—James Lileks Spider-Man 3 Riff Trax

Or, if you're feeling punny, a Test Tube Babe.

More a staple of movies (especially science fiction), but also appears regularly on TV. When a male protagonist needs to consult with or bring in an expert on some obscure and/or technical subject (poisonous orchids, particle theory, rare diseases, ancient languages, prehistoric sharks, whatever), said expert will turn out to be female, drop dead gorgeous, and, at twentysomething, conspicuously too young to have possibly earned the relevant academic degrees or otherwise accrued such expertise (often this is handwaved by mentioning at some point that she was a Teen Genius). Not all of these are required, but the general gist is good enough.

The reason why this trope is popular is because men want a woman who can tell them about Lagrange points and do a lap-dance. Preferably both at the same time.

If the word "model" appears anywhere on The Other Wiki's entry on their actor, you're definitely dealing with one.

A Hot Scientist is frequently a Hot Librarian as well, and often ends up as a Girl of the Week or Temporary Love Interest. Could be considered an evolution of the Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter, combining the scientist and his daughter into one character (although they tend to be sane). She may also be an Action Girl in a Badass Labcoat.

Female protagonists, on the other hand, often get saddled with a Horny Scientist. This trope seems to be increasingly less Always Female, however. In Japanese media, especially the genres aimed at a female audience, expect to see pretty boys with PhDs as well.

This, of course, completely ignores the fact that most labs in Real Life have very strict dress codes for the sake of personal safety. For example, most require those with long hair to have it all completely tied back while doing lab work. Also, most of them strictly prohibit shoes that don't adequately cover the feet, such as sandals, flip flops, and heels. Appropriate clothing is also compulsory - shorts and bared midriffs are obviously never allowed. But, of course, safety and practicality are completely trumped by the Rule of Sexy. Male examples tend to follow the dress code more often than not. To Hollywood's credit, at least scientists on TV usually remember to wear their safety goggles...

Compare Hollywood Nerd and Nerds Are Sexy. See also Hospital Hottie, Fair Cop.

Examples of Hot Scientist include:

Anime and Manga

  • Dr. Ritsuko Akagi of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
    • Especially now that her dub actress in the Rebuild movies is Colleen Clinkenbeard doing her Yuuko voice.
    • Yui Ikari and Naoko Akagi were pretty easy on the eyes, too. Now if only we'll ever get to see what Kyoko Soryu actually looked like...
  • Doc (Hakase) from Jura Tripper
  • In Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Washuu is a borderline case; she's cute, but not breathtaking until she takes her adult form, which she does rarely, and in both cases she doesn't look anywhere near her real age, which is whopping 40,000 years old, in her current body. Overall she is significantly older than the Universe itself.
  • Male example: Duero from Vandread.
    • Vandread also has a female example in Chief Engineer Parfet, who is more of a Geeky-cute hot than the stone-bishonen Duero.
  • Another male example: Shirogane Ryou of Tokyo Mew Mew.
  • The Periphery Demographic (i.e. perverted men) watching Futari wa Pretty Cure have taken this and run with it. Popular Fanon interpretation of Honoka plays this up highly, usually also merging it with the Horny Scientist (especially in Hentai of the subject).
  • Space Runaway Ideon has Sheryl Formossa, who is somewhat of a Rich Bitch in attitude but is hot and her bitchy side declines over time.
  • Professor Youko from Mai-Otome, a young woman who keeps track of the Otome Robe technology used at Garderobe Academy, appears to be only in her mid- to late-20s. My-HiME's Youko was a Hot Nurse.
  • Dr. Rakshata Chawla from Code Geass (on the side of the Black Knights) and post-makeover Nina Einstein (on the side of Britannia) in Code Geass R2. In both seasons, Cécile Croomy is Count Lloyd Asplund's Hot Assistant
    • Hell, Lloyd definitely qualifies as a male example himself!
  • Precia Testarossa of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, though being absolutely evil and insane kinda turns a lot of people off. Well, she's much more normal Hot Mom in Fate's Lotus Eater Machine, so...
  • Ditto for Grace O'Connor from Macross Frontier, who too manages to combine a Hot Scientist with a Mad Scientist into a visually pleasing, but not in a little bit pleasant character. Though it does much to making her a Magnificent Bitch.
  • Shader from Chrono Crusade is a Perky Female Minion and a Catgirl to boot, all while serving as the Sinner's Evil Genius.
  • Sasuke Uchiha's teammate Karin from Naruto, though she seems to serve more as a jailer and manager of Orochimaru's labs. The fact that she wears a lab coat anyway is probably because it's good for covering up the marks on her arms and shoulders from using her "heal bite" ability.
  • Doc from Texhnolyze is a great example of this trope. Though she's also rather disturbed... and probably other things. She considers herself Ichise's "Second Mother" and has sex with him. Which the storyline manages to make into something alternatively disturbing, tragic and romantic. In the end, it's heavily implied that she commits suicide.
  • Aragami in Shikabane Hime, who typically wears nothing but a bra, hot pants, and labcoat.
  • Sayoko Nanamori from RahXephon, commented on by the protagonist when he first meets her.
  • Winry Rockbell of Fullmetal Alchemist is a Hot Engineer. And if one flashback is to be believed, so was her grandmother, back in her day.
    • Alfons from Conqueror of Shamballa counts. He's essentially Al with blond hair and blue eyes too.
  • Professor Ivy from Pokémon.
  • The resident Mad Scientist of Mahou Sensei Negima, Hakase Satomi.
    • Chao probably also counts.
  • A Certain Scientific Railgun:
  • Verde of the Arcobaleno, back when he was an adult, seemed to be quite the Hot Scientist. You know, seeing how he helped invent box-weapons and has a nice Perma-Stubble to boot. Though really, most nerds are sexy anyway. Especially if said nerd came from a series called Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
    • Irie Shouichi and Spanner could qualify.
  • Dr. Peaberry from Embalming.
  • Nishikiori Tsubasa from Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen, a talented biochemist.
  • Nemu Kurotsuchi of Bleach is literally a Test Tube Babe, seeing as she is the artificial daughter and lab assistant of 12th Division captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Technically, that also makes her the Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter. Seriously, she's that trope's picture.
  • Julia Silverstein from Blood+, who doubles as a Hospital Hottie.
  • Inui Sadaharu from Prince of Tennis is a male version, being both surprisingly good looking (despite the Scary Shiny Glasses/Nerd Glasses) and amazingly intelligent. And all evidence points towards him only getting better in both regards as he grows older. He's kind of a budding Mad Scientist... what? Nerds Are Sexy!
  • Full Metal Panic!
    • Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa. Sure, she's just 16. However, she's a Whispered and in one episode she tells Kaname Chidori that she designed the submarine she's captain of.
    • If a Whispered automatically qualifies for this trope, then Kaname Chidori as well. She identifies the weak point of the Behemoth's cooling system, knows how to operate a Lambda Driver and even builds a device which can cancel it out. And Kurtz says she's attractive.
  • Another male example: Watari from Descendants of Darkness. Maybe this trope shouldn't be Always Female anymore?
    • Muraki is only the sexiest serial killer doctor that ever existed!
  • Professor Fudo of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. As the man behind Momentum/Enerdy's discovey and implementation, he's also the main Protagonists' father, and the first Yu-Gi-Oh! onscreen blood-related parent that was shown in both Japanese and American anime. He's also the poster boy of the theory 'you can inherit your parents' hairstyles'.
    • Also his wife, who apparently worked right alongside him. Sheeyowza.
      • Interestingly enough, after the second timeskip (Episode 152), we can also add Yusei himself to the list.
  • Dr. Mine. Kujo of Eternal Sabbath is also one of these.
  • Halo Legends does this to Dr. Halsey, the genius behind the MJOLNIR and SPARTAN projects, despite her being sixty. This could be explained by the fact that she spent a lot of that time in cryo-sleep, but it contradicts her description in the novels. The only logical explanation would be artistic license.
  • Dr. Kozaburo Nambu of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.
  • Immortal Rain: Dr. Dora Folk - the psychopath scientist that has the looks of a model from one of those advertisements for men's clothing.
  • In the Sailor Moon manga Sailor Pluto/Setsuna was studying to become a physics teacher.
  • Stein from Soul Eater. Somehow. The fact he's ridiculously muscular doesn't hurt one bit. 'Healthy soul in a healthy body', eh?
  • Namie Yagiri from Durarara!! at the beginning of the story. Shame she loses the labcoat...
    • Shinra could also qualify as the male version of this, in a more nerdy sort of way.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam has a lot of these. You just need to know where to look.
  • The Baccano! series has one of each gender. The first is Huey Laforet, whose looks are (quite literally) comparable to a Bishonen Teen Idol despite being a 240-year-old Mad Scientist. The second is the light novel exclusive alchemist Renee, who also doubled as Huey's Hot Teacher.
  • Bulma from the Dragon Ball series, particularly Dragonball Z...when she's not being a whiny pain in the ass, anyway.
  • Cindy Campbell from cute squid girl series Squid Girl is a hot American scientist.
  • Tabane Shinonono the creator of the Infinite Stratos undeniably so.
  • Crea Mizushima of Ratman, in an Affably Evil sort of way.
  • Both the protagonists of Hinako Takanaga's Boys Love Genre manga The Tyrant Falls in Love qualify as this: one is an agribiologist studying for his Masters degree and the other is his lab assistant. At least they keep to the dress code, although Souichi should probably tie his long hair back a little tighter...
    • The same character shows up as the overprotective big brother of Tomoe from Challengers. Tomoe himself could be considered a hot roboticist.
  • Dr. Antonia Belucci in Heat Guy J is both this and a Wrench Wench (she's J's designer and maintainer). So hot that when a "beauty" card was made of her, hers was listed as one of the rare "Special" ones.

Comic Books

  • Alyssa Moy long time friend of Reed Richards.
  • Hannah Dundee from Xenozoic Tales.
  • Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy of Batman's rogues gallery, in some continuities.
  • Ultimate Fantastic Four Sue Storm certainly qualifies. Her mother, too.
  • Veronica Cale of 52.
  • Evelyn Necker of Marvel Comics Death's Head II and Nova.
  • Kirk and Francine Langstrom are both very attractive - when they're not Man-Bat (or Woman-Bat). Then again, if you've got a thing for furries, nobody's stopping you.
  • Hank Pym, in most of his incarnations.
  • And another, Dr Henry "Hank" McCoy (aka "Beast") from the X-Men comics. X-Men The Last Stand puts him in a suit too.
  • Maxine in Sin City is your standard Sin City woman with large breasts and is an evil scientist working for an assassin's guild to boot.
  • Josie Beller, a.k.a. Circuit-Breaker, from Marvel Comics' Generation One Transformers comic, was hired by G.B. Blackrock right out of high school to design what was then the world's most advanced automated deep-sea oil rig. When that was destroyed, and she herself paralyzed, by a Decepticon attack, she designed and built for herself a suit of Stripperiffic cybernetic Power Armor so that she could fight the Transformers. She was also the primary, and almost the only source of Fan Service in the whole comic.
  • Dr. Sasha Tarasov from Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars. A hot evil scientist sure, but hot nonetheless.

Film

  • In Contact, they made Dr. Arroway a massive Teen Genius to justify Jodie Foster playing someone in charge of a project this huge. If Matthew McConaughey was a scientist in this movie, rather than a theologian and philosopher, he'd qualify, too.
  • This type of character was a staple of the Attack of the Killer Whatever "B" movies of the '50s. A particularly blatant example would be Joan Weldon's character in the giant-ant classic Them; the distaff half of a father-daughter entomologist team, the first we see of her is a pair of shapely legs emerging from an airplane hatch.
  • The character that inspired this page was "Dr." Cataline Stone in Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, a film of such constant, royal stupidity that "the day would quake to look on."
  • From the James Bond series:
    • In The World Is Not Enough, this concept is stretched to beyond credibility by introducing Dr. Christmas Jones, a twenty-something nuclear physicist with ginormous fake boobs played by Denise Richards. Needless to say, she and Bond end up in bed together.
    • There was also Dr. Holly Goodhead in Moonraker, but at least she was played by someone 30-ish. She was no less attractive for her age, though, and of course the film ends with her and Bond becoming the first members of the 100-Mile-High Club.

"Expecting someone?"
"No, all us scientists dress in skimpy revealing nightgowns."
"But not all of them look like you do. Ever seen Linus Pauling in his nightgown?"

  • Attractive young Irishman Cillian Murphy (sporting an indie-rock hair cut) as a theoretical physicist in Sunshine (2007). The crew were worried about the implausibility of the casting, until they met their science advisor, an attractive young British theoretical physicist (sporting an indie-rock haircut). That advisor being Brian Cox, erstwhile keyboard player with D:Ream.
    • This trope arguably applies to the bulk of the main cast.
    • He also played a psychologist in Batman Begins, but he may or may not be evil enough in that movie to enhance the Squee.
    • He also played computer expert Edward Dillinger Jr. in Tron: Legacy.
  • In the Fantastic Four movies, Susan Storm exemplifies this trope, primarily since she's now being played by Jessica Alba. To be fair, it could be argued that this actually represents a step up from her initial appearances in the comics, where her major role appeared to be super-powered morale boosting.
    • In the first movie, she seemed to be trying for this trope at first to attract Reed's attention. It didn't work very well.
    • Several female fans of the movies insist that Reed Richards, played by Ioan Gruffold, qualifies for a male version of this trope.
  • The film versions of X-Men turned Jean Grey into this. When she's giving her speech to Congress at the beginning of the film, or whenever she's in a lab coat, hot damn!
  • Altered States had Emily (played by Blair Brown), a former Teen Genius sweating out her dissertation at an improbably young age.
  • In the 2007 Transformers movie, the analyst who helps decode the alien data probably should do some modeling on the side. Though some might not notice her due to the high competition of Mikaela Banes.
    • Interestingly, Word of God says she actually DID do modelling work to put herself through college.
  • The 2008 Iron Man film features Tony Stark himself, played by Robert Downey, Jr., who is generally easy on the eyes...and who is definitely a brilliant engineer.
    • The age angle doesn't play as much into it here—Downey Jr. was 43 at the time of the movie. Tony Stark's age can't be told exactly but it seems that he's 40, no younger than 36 (he entered MIT at 15 and graduated in '87, according to [1]). While he would have fit the trope in his twenties, we actually see him older. Though no less hot.
  • Methodically subverted in the monster movie Tremors with the character of Rhonda LeBeck. She's still just a grad student, not a professor. Actress Finn Carter, while certainly attractive, is no glamour puss. (Another character even lists the physical attributes this sort of character normally has, before seeing that Ms. Carter lacks all of them.) She sports clothes and a hairstyle appropriate for tramping around in the Nevada desert. And best of all, even though this is a monster movie, she stubbornly refuses to come up with A Theory to explain the attacking Graboids.
    • The sequel Tremors II: Aftershocks also does a pretty good job in this regard, casting Helen Shaver to play an age-appropriate love-interest for Fred Ward's character.
  • The movie adaptation of The Saint had Elisabeth Shue as a physicist who had developed a reliable method for cold fusion.
    • She was originally supposed to die two thirds of the way through (which is why Shue took the role) but test audiences reacted badly to it so a Focus Group Ending was made to where she lived.
    • The barely-less-forgettable Hollow Man had Elisabeth Shue as a molecular biologist who had helped develop an invisibility serum.
  • Saffron Burrows played a rare example of a villainous Hot Scientist in Deep Blue Sea.
  • Subverted in Thunderbirds where Genie Francis was made to look hideous as evil scientist Lisa Lowe.
  • James Van Der Beek plays heroic scientist Kirk Hafner in NBC's 2009 made for TV movie, The Storm. That's him on the far left.
  • Marina in Local Hero is a hot scientist ... and a mermaid.
  • Emma Thompson in the beginning of I Am Legend. Sure, she destroys the world, but goddamn, just imagine being her lab assistant...
  • Audrey Tautou in The Da Vinci Code. Even Tom Hanks turns into a Dirty Old Man in her presence!
  • Zooey Deschanel in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, especially when she's first seen in the main story, wearing the men's dress shirt, blue stretch pants, argyle socks, and those glasses! Oh, god, I'm nerding out!!!
  • Tiffany Bolling in Kingdom of the Spiders.
  • Subverted thoroughly in The Andromeda Strain, 1971: the Kate Reid character is very much a real scientist, and not played to conventional standards of attractiveness.
  • Dr. Grace Augustine in Avatar, either Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have! style as a human or Catgirl in Stanford tank top style as an avatar.
  • Elsa in Splice.
  • At least one vote for Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.
  • Lora (Cindy Morgan) in Tron.
  • Dr Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in Thor. The character has been adapted into an astrophysicist instead of the nurse she was in the original comic book material. This one is interesting because Portman is something of a hot scientist herself - see the "Real Life" section below.
    • Not to mention her research assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), though to be fair she was an English major.
  • Rowan LaFontaine from Jason X.
  • Michael Jennings in Paycheck meets a beautiful woman at a fancy dinner who turns out to be a biologist.
  • Julianne Moore in Evolution.
  • Bio-Dome: Dr. Petra von Kant, notably.
  • A Beautiful Mind: the genius John Nash is the handsome Russell Crowe.
    • Actually, the young (and brilliant) John Nash did look a bit like Russell Crowe.
  • Jane Dobson in Puma Man is theoretically an archaeologist. In practice, the phrase "Dumb Blonde" comes to mind.
  • The scientist played by Tara Reid in the Alone in The Dark movie (you know which one I'm talking about).

Literature

  • All of Dan Brown's female leads are hot scientists. And he will write about it. At length. Whether you want him to or not.
    • One particular example is from Angels & Demons, where the Italian female lead enters the Vatican in shorts (which annoys the cardinals) and is a yoga master.
  • Matthew Reilly also likes this trope. See Gaby Lopez and Lauren Copeland from Temple as prime examples.
  • Doctor Helen Cain in Friday the 13th: The Jason Strain, former Teen Genius whose actually described as looking sort of like a stripper. Her Asexuality is mentioned frequently.
  • Magnus rescues Hot Scientist April Churchill in the book by the same name.
  • A Wrinkle in Time: Mrs. Murry.
  • Dr. Catherine Halsey in from the Halo books. Going without her Anime rendition in Halo Legends, we Cortana was made using her brain as a template, and apparently looks like Halsey in her youth. So this makes Dr. Halsey an Omnidisciplinary Scientist that looks like a sixty-year-old, larger, and less transparent-blue Cortana.
  • In Shanna Swendson's Enchanted Inc., Owen. Wizard, technically, but he's in the R&D department of the corporation, and the lab is very scientific looking.
  • Shannon Foraker, R&D genius, from the Honor Harrington series.

Live-Action TV

  • Mulder on The X-Files ran into them on a regular basis (in an oblique way, Scully even fits the pattern), although they also parodied the idea neatly in "War of the Coprophages" when Mulder consulted with entomologist Dr. Bambi Berenbaum.
    • As Scully says: "Smart is sexy."
  • Charlotte on Lost fits the bill. She's a hot anthropologist. And she's a redhead!.
  • CSI also has a periodic Hot Scientist, a forensic anthropologist that Grissom tries to call in to consult at every available opportunity.
    • Every single main character on CSI is a scientist of some description, and none of them exactly crack mirrors. Extra bonus point to Catherine Willows, former stripper(!!)
      • Those must be some pretty good experiences.
    • Lampshaded in the episode Two and a Half Deaths. A TV producer who worked with a murdered sitcom actress visits the lab. After seeing several of the team he muses that there might be a market for a show about attractive people working in a high-tech crime lab.
  • Ditto for CSI: NY and CSI: Miami
  • If doctors count then we have a few Scrubs examples such as Dr. Miller, a male example in the gynecologist Dr. Matthew, psychologist Dr. Molly Clock and Elliot Reid, one of the main characters.
  • Every (non-crazy) scientist to appear in Smallville - every single one.
    • Except the one played by Christopher Reeve. Although he still had a hot assistant.
      • Well, if not for his tragic physical problems, Chris Reeve would've likely been an older and male version of the trope.
  • Stargate SG-1 has a Hot Scientist as a main character, Samantha Carter. Unlike most Hot Scientists, she is arguably not a Hot Librarian, because she virtually never displays any sex appeal or even any interest in sex. The attractiveness part was intentional.
    • Parodied in the Wormhole X-treme! episode, "starring Yolanda Reese as the beautiful and intelligent Major Stacy Monroe". Carter expresses an emotion somewhere between bemused and bemused-er.
    • Doctor Weir's not so bad herself, either.
      • Nor was Doc Frasier.
      • Wouldn't Frasier be a Hospital Hottie? And I'm not sure whether Weir counts, given that her degree was in international relations. She's an academic, but not a scientist.
        • Considering the medical cases SGC encounters, Drs. Frasier, Beckett, Keller and Lam definitely count as researchers. As for Weir... nope, she isn't a scientist.
    • Rodney McKay's sister Jeannie Miller definitely counts, having a bolt of inspiration that apparently solves a significant practical problem with what she thinks is only a theoretical technology. She's playing with her kid, so she has to get it down in finger paint. Even with a copy of the proof, McKay and Carter working together can't figure it out fast enough for their liking.
    • For that matter, Daniel Jackson has a significant Fan Girl following, as a good-looking, brilliant anthropologist who speaks twenty-seven languages (and those are just the ones from Earth). His being The Woobie probably doesn't hurt.
    • Drs. Heightmeyer and Simpson, while not stunningly beautiful, are both quite attractive.
    • Carson Beckett is a pretty good-looking too. Rodney McKay also has quite a following of fangirls, few of whom are averse to fawning over his thighs, shoulders, arms, ass and nipples.
    • What about Jennifer Keller? She might be only a medical officer but she's definitely hot (no wonder Rodney fell for her).
  • Male example: The Professor of Gilligan's Island, at least according to Ginger, Mrs. Howell, and Eva Gabor. Smart guys are hot (even if he couldn't figure out fixing the boat).
  • Subverted in an episode of Hustle in which the already-lovely Stacie, when impersonating a professor's research assistant, uses false teeth to give herself an unattractive overbite.
  • Male example: John Crichton from Farscape, especially after he starts wearing black and red leather in season 2 onward. Mmmm...spacepants!
    • Female examples from Farscape would be Jool and Sikozu, and also Sikozu (she's hot enough that she warrants a second mention). Jool is basically what happens when you look to see where a child prodigy ends up 20 years after making the news as "IQ of 200 kid," now outfitted with a college education. Sikozu has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Leviathan-related, although to be fair she may have been programmed that way. Both know how intelligent they are, and flaunt it to varying degrees (with Sikozu being more condescending and contemptuous, and Jool being more of a spoiled princess). As for "hot"...well, here.
  • Amita from Numb3rs is more of a Hot Computer Scientist.
  • Doctor Who has used this trope multiple times.
    • The Doctor's companion Zoe Heriot (or maybe Herriot), a regular in the 1968-69 season, is an astrophysicist and mathematician. In behaviour she falls somewhere between a Teen Genius and an adult Hot Scientist.
    • Her successor the following year, Liz Shaw, wears knee-length boots and very short skirts, and also has doctorates in biochemistry and astronomy.
    • The Doctor's companion Romana, despite technically being a psychologist and/or historian, fits this trope reasonably well, and her attractiveness is confirmed by K9 and later by the Doctor himself.
    • Nyssa of Traken.
    • Also, Peri is a botany student. But probably not a very good student as she's dumber than a box of sonic screwdrivers. Only once during her tenure was she shown practicing her craft (1985's The Mark of the Rani) and that was after three and half episodes of excruciating whining and crying. Admittedly, she looked good doing it, but nobody is going to claim she's a genius.
    • Mel is a computer programmer.
    • Also also, Ace makes her own explosives and, arguably, created a timestorm with chemistry.
    • Male example: The Doctor himself, since at least the Jon Pertwee version of the early 1970s, has had his share of admirers for virtually every incarnation. (Yes, including Jon Pertwee who is directly said to be "so damn sexy" - perhaps in an Austin Powers sort of way? - by a female fashion designer interviewed in the 1990s documentary More Than Thirty Years in the TARDIS.
    • River Song. She is a doctor.
  • Toshiko Sato of Torchwood isn't half-bad either...
  • The oceanographer played by Lake Bell in Surface.
  • Nikki Alexander from Silent Witness is definitely an example of this trope, being played by Emilia Fox.
  • Jadzia Dax, though her talents seem to run towards the practical sciences, is nonetheless is science-division teal (rather than engineering yellow) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She fully embodies the trope, being both physically attractive and (when she wants to be) sexually adventurous, that last being a gift from her (male) predecessor Curzon, who actually went Out with a Bang.
    • While she's not an accredited scientist, her big brain allows Seven Of Nine to function as Voyager's resident theoretical and applied physicist. Her big...tracts of land, on the other hand, allow her to function as eye candy.
      • Seven's smart, sure, but what is of far more practical use to the crew is the knowledge that comes from all people she's assimilated when she was a Borg.
  • Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in Bones seems improbably young to be both an internationally known expert and a best-selling author of multiple novels. Bonus: She is also an expert in Spock Speak.
    • In the original novels, Temperence "Tempe" Brennan is somewhat older and only busts out the Spock Speak when she actually needs it. Still hot, though. Judging from the author's photo on the dust jacket, this may be Truth in Television.
    • Lampshaded once:

Brennan: I don't want to be the "sexy scientist"!

  • Angela also works, as a combo of artist and computer programming genius.
  • So does Dr. Camille Saroyan, Temperance's boss.
  • Hodgins, and Zack also work as male examples.
  • Ms. Angela Fairweather from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.
    • If you like Cat Girls, Dr. Kat Manx from Power Rangers SPD counts as well.
      • Although Kat is technically 147 years old, which fudges that a bit. Both actresses were only 27 at the time of airing, so Ms. Fairweather could certainly still count, considering the ridiculous range of theoretical physics it must require to design both Power Rangers and Humongous Mecha. At least Kat had the benefit of being alien, and thus used to advanced tech.
    • Dr. K from Power Rangers RPM? Maybe not "hot," per se, but... The only reason that Dr. K doesn't fit this is because they invoked Hollywood Homely to convey that she was something of a frumpy, vacuum-packed adult child. Her actress in real life (Olivia Tennet) is a professional dancer and actually pretty cute. In addition to making her (apparently) quite younger than the rest of the team.
    • One of few good things about the Kalish era: many scientists fell into this category. Not only Kat, but if there was a scientist Victim of the Week who needed protecting, or a scientist whose knowledge would be instrumental in beating the Monster of the Week, or both, as often as not it's going to be a woman who's very easy on the eyes.
  • Abby Sciuto from NCIS is one badass Perky Goth and hot lady who does not do dress codes. She is called into the lab one night dressed as Marilyn Monroe, straight from a costume party... now that is even hotter. Also, Ducky isn't half bad either, considering what he used to look like...
    • Arguably justified in this case, as actress Pauley Perette was actually working on a Masters degree in criminology and forensic science when she was selected to play the minor character of Abby in JAG (before the NCIS spinoff); not to mention being a Perky Goth in real life. That's right, she ended up playing an exaggerated-for-television version of herself.
    • It should also be pointed out that there is a dress code and she is expected to follow it. The director actually enforced it in one episode, then Abby complained to Gibbs about said enforcement, the dress code issue was never enforced on her again. Not from within, anyway.
  • Geneticist Mohinder Suresh from Heroes. His actor was a former model, and his castmates joke about how his charming smile makes EVERYONE melt...
  • Trillian (Tricia McMillan) in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "What with a degree in mathematics and another in astrophysics, it was that or the dole queue again on Monday."
  • Many people would argue that Dr. Gaius Baltar, resident Omnidisciplinary Scientist of Battlestar Galactica, fits the bill very nicely indeed. He certainly has no problems finding people who agree within the show itself. It's true he doesn't get a lot of sciencing done these days, revolutions and politics are timeconsuming after all, as is prison, but his scientific genius cannot be denied.
    • The Final Five Cylons were scientists in their original lives, which means that Sam Anders, Galen Tyrol and Tory Foster were Hot Scientists. Arguably Ellen Tigh too.
    • Don't let's forget tactical officer Felix Gaeta, the resident science type on the Galactica command staff.
  • Michael Trucco (Sam Anders, mentioned above) also played one on The Big Bang Theory.
  • In the second season The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Nowhere Affair", a THRUSH computer picks an ugly duckling sexy THRUSH scientist to seduce Napoleon Solo, in the hopes of reversing the Easy Amnesia that was induced when Solo took "Capsule B" before his capture by THRUSH.
  • Katerina Bartikovsky in Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, she may be a Hologram but is "Hard Light" and thus tangible. Shame she seems to be showing signs of being evil, or at least malicious.
  • The Popular Mechanics scientists from Food Detectives qualify, and so does Ted Allen himself, as well as a couple of the Food Techs. On the same network, some people have expresses Perverse Sexual Lust for Alton Brown, as well as W.
  • Depending on who you ask, the MythBusters. Yes, all of them. Yes, even Jamie. No, not Buster.
  • Fred from TV's Angel is the quintessential hot scientist.
  • Get Smart's Dr. Steel has a secret lab backstage at the Follies and performs in the chorus. When Max disagrees with her diagnosis he leaves to find "another doctor. A real doctor. One with funny legs!"
  • Pretty much everyone on Eureka. Who are supposed to be the collective genius from all around planet Earth.
  • Ivy, Topher's assistant in Dollhouse.
    • And Bennett. Oh dear, Bennett. Lampshaded: Topher thought she was too perfect and had to be a Doll. She wasn't.
    • Claire Saunders is a medical doctor, but at the Dollhouse freaky science comes with that field. Played with because of her numerous scars, and the revelation about how she got her scientific credentials.
  • Amanda Pays as Dr. Cristina McGee from the live action version of The Flash.
  • Helen Magnus of Sanctuary, who is not coincidentally played by the woman who played another Hot Scientist on this list, Samantha Carter.
    • Also, Nikola Tesla, as played by Jonathon Young.
  • On Quantum Leap, the most we hear of Project QL staffer Tina is Al talking about his latest sexual escapade with her. Indeed, when we first see her on screen, she looks and sounds like a typical bimbo. But she's no secretary; she's a Pulse Communications Specialist (whatever that is), and she definitely wouldn't be working there if she was a dummy.
  • Mad had a parody of the '60s I Spy show where the agents went to rescue a bikini-girl nuclear physicist from the Red Chinese. When they're informed by the bad guys that the girl they were after wasn't the real physicist, they reply that they knew it all along, because she wasn't sexy enough to be a nuclear physicist on a tv show.
  • Daniel Graystone from Caprica. Also a Hot Dad.
  • Mocked on Thirty Rock, when Tracy tried to cheer Pete up (and possibly tempt him into adultery) by having a party in the office with a number of very attractive women. Upon hearing that he is a TV producer, one of the ladies begins flirting with him and says, "Really? I'm an actress. Did you ever see the movie Secret Touchings? I was a scientist in that."
  • Lanie Parish, the medical examiner on Castle. She's even been known to turn up at crime scenes in formal wear.
  • Physicists Dr Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) and Dr Simon Campos (Dominic Monghan) from Flash Forward.
  • Stephanie Powell and Katie Andrews from No Ordinary Family.
  • Bernadette in The Big Bang Theory, and to a lesser degree Amy, who looks nice when all made up and dressed prettily.
    • And of course Amy's actress, who is gorgeous in real life (they dress her down on the show) actually holds a doctorate in neuroscience. Very meta.
  • Dr. Maura Isles of Rizzoli and Isles is a brilliant, though eccentric, medical examiner who works in nice clothes and is very particular about nice shoes.
  • Sharron Macready from The Champions.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer; In "Goodbye Iowa" Buffy disguises herself as one to sneak into the Initiative.

Music

  • In the music video for "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby, Miss Sakamoto (though she might just be a hot assistant). But good heavens! she's beautiful.
    • Plus, the entire song is about an attractive scientist.
  • Quite a large number of women find Dr. Steel incredibly attractive.
  • Tinie Tempah's 'Wonderman' music video has Ellie Goulding in the role of a Hot Scientist.

Video Games

  • Lemon from Super Robot Wars is good example of this trope. Especially when you realize she has built the W-Series (including Fetish Fuel Station Attendant Lamia Loveless and her expy, Aschen Brodel.....and Echidna Iisaki and HER expy, Cardia Bassiria). The sexy part comes from the fact that she's an alternate universe clone of Excellen.
  • The majority of Resident Evil's Umbrella employees fit this trope. Albert Wesker, William Birkin (though he's more on the Adorkable side of things), Annette Birkin, James Marcus, Alexia Ashford and her twin brother Alfred, and Frederic Downing. Even the obscure Umbrella researchers were good looking: Morpheus D. Duvall, Alexander Ashford and Monica.
  • Shion Uzuki of Xenosaga is a rare video game example where the Hot Scientist is the lead character.
  • Joining the ranks of Hot Computer Scientists is Kamui from the .hack series, although she does more exterminating than research... and all we usually ever see is her online avatar, though, in volume 3 of the .hack//Legend of the Twilight manga, there is a pin-up poster,.hack//Unplugged, showing her and all of the other main characters in real life.
  • Safiya in Neverwinter Nights 2 is the closest thing you get to a scientist in Forgotten Realms, being a transmuter and golem-builder. And is hot.
  • Kayleigh Wintercrest from The Sims 2 for GBA.
  • Liara T'Soni from Mass Effect.
  • Ciel of Mega Man Zero is pretty dang cute. She also made Copy-X while she was six years old, and she's still pretty young in the games. There's a genuine explanation for all this, it's just All There in the Manual.
    • Alia from the previous series arguably counts, especially by the end. The fact that she's a robot, albeit of the Ridiculously Human sort, may be a minus.
      • Ciel is an Expy of Alia.
    • Tron Bonne certainly counts. She created 40 Servbots on her own, is smarter than her older brother (who is a bit... odd), built the Gesselchaft as well as most of the Bonne machines; and to top it all off, in The Misadventures of Tron Bonne she gets a scientist outfit!
  • Ema Skye in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but she's more of a Hot Detective Who Really Likes Science And Wears a Lab Coat.
  • Lucy Stillman from Assassin's Creed. And she's voiced by Kristen Bell.
  • Could Dr. Naomi Hunter in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots please button up her shirt and fix her hair? I'm really trying very hard to listen to the very important things she's explaining.
    • Many of the scientists in Metal Gear Solid are more than qualified for this trope - Naomi Hunter, Mei Ling, Para-Medic, Rosemary and Otacon are just as good looking as they are knowledgeable in fields of military tactics, advanced technology, genetics, and medical sciences.
    • Otacon's more of the cute type though. And male, let's not forget that.
  • BlazBlue presents Dr. Litchi Faye Ling, easily the hottest woman in the game. She's this and Hospital Hottie (and a bit of Hot Teacher) rolled in one
  • Shalua Rui from Dirge of Cerebus: Final Fantasy VII takes this trope to the point where she looks like a hooker in a white coat.
    • In the freezeing rain, no less.
  • Doctor Kleeya from Star Trek Elite Force 2. Even the NPC guarding her door admits that he can't concentrate because of her.
    • Maybe because she is a homage to the TOS babes (with normal skin though) Kirk used to get involved with. She also wears a specific designed outfit.
  • Professor Raine Sage from Tales of Symphonia, who serves the roles of teacher, archaeologist, and technological expert.
    • And Tales of the Abyss has the other side of it in Colonel Jade Curtiss, who was Dr. Balfour before he joined the military to continue his experiments for their benefit.
  • Aki from Ape Escape 3. The game's resident hot shounen aunt, who develops the gadgets that her nephew and niece use to capture monkeys.
  • The scientist lady in the cutscenes between levels of Rampage: World Tour.
  • No More Heroes has Dr. Naomi, whose figure makes some players wish they were chasing after her instead of Manipulative Bitch Sylvia.
  • Capcom's Rival Schools fighting game series had a combination school nurse/science teacher Kyoko Minazuki. Bonus points because she believes that Nerds Are Sexy.
  • Zexion from Kingdom Hearts was Ansem the Wise's youngest lab apprentice, so this might overlap with Teen Genius, depending on how old you think he is.
    • Depending on your tastes, Xemnas, Xigbar, Xehanort (and his Heartless), Vexen, and Lexaeus also count.
  • Half Life 2's Alyx might qualify. Hot? Check. Hacker expert? Check. Wrench Wench? Check. Hell, she even knows how to operate a teleporter she never even saw before (while under fire, protected only by three turrets and her Love Interest).
    • Hell, Gordon Freeman himself. The guy's a theoretical physicist with a Ph.D. from MIT, and is made especially good-looking by his facial hair and seriously beautiful glasses. For real.
  • In BioShock (series), Brigid Tenenbaum was young, a Teen Genius and looks fairly attractive in her audio diary picture. However, when you see her face to face in BioShock (series) 2, the years have not been kind at all, mainly due to stress and ill health.
  • Dr. Betty Veronica (!), the scientist from Rampage World Tour! She's a Brainy Brunette who wears Nerd Glasses, has her hair up in a bun somewhat, wears a labcoat with a very short skirt, and has some nice legs!
  • Professor Anders from Halo Wars. Sure, the game left much to be desired, but she was pure Fetish Fuel.
  • Professor Juniper, of Pokémon Black and White. Lab coat and Green Eyes? Yes, please.
    • Not to mention her lovely former roommate and cute assistant, Fennel. Fennel being a Meganekko is a huge bonus as well.
    • Also the female Scientist sprites as well.
  • While every Team Fortress 2 class has somewhat of a fangirl following, The Medic is most definitely the biggest Mr. Fanservice.
  • Maya Shidow from Phantasy Star Universe.
  • Professors Kate and Wright from Spectrobes likely qualify.
  • Youtia in Eien no Aselia in an unkempt sort of way, though you generally can't tell because the art for her normal sprite is sort of deformed looking.
  • Merveille from Solatorobo.
  • Helena Rosenthal from Crysis

Web Comics

  • Parodied in the 'Kitten' Story Arc of Sluggy Freelance, where the Hot Scientist character Dr. Haute-Sheik was constantly annoyed by people pronouncing her last name as 'Hot-Chick'.
  • Curvaceous Helen Narbon from Narbonic.
    • As well as Dr. Virginia Lee from Skin Horse, by the same artist.
  • Agatha Clay née Heterodyne of Girl Genius is plenty hot. Gilgamesh Wulfenbach of the same comic probably counts as a male version.
    • For that matter, most of the truly powerful mad scientists in Girl Genius are fine physical specimens... Tarvek, Lucrezia, Klaus Wulfenbach (kinda old, sure, but you can't tell me he's not fit).
      • Klaus has been shown to be capable not only of ruling all of Europe, but also satisfying Lucrezia's... appetites and dismantling a Humongous Mecha with his bare hands (sadly, not all at once). "Fit" indeed.
      • Even minor sparks bring the heat, like Theopolous DuMedd and Sleipnir O'Hara (and her hot pipes). Sleipnir's not a Spark, but she's still very smart.
  • Kiyohara Takako from Heliothaumic is a curvaceous Asian with the tongue of a sailor who teaches A.I. as a Professor at Baisotei University.
  • Dr. Jean Poule in The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob is perhaps more of a Girl Next Door than a "hot" scientist, but she's still pretty darned cute.
  • Alexa from Shape Quest is a scientist for the Empire's military.
  • Raven from Questionable Content went to college to study physics (ironically, she's been portrayed as a complete ditz so far). She dresses up in a labcoat for lectures because it "feels sciency".
  • Amanda from El Goonish Shive was definitely written with this trope in mind. Of course, she is the assistant of Horny Scientist Dr. Germahn, so she was probably hired with this trope in mind as well.
  • Monica Villareal from Wapsi Square.
  • Franken from Noblesse, who also is a Mad Scientist.
  • Cassie from Times Like This: While studying physics at MIT, she works as a Hooters girl. 'Nuff said.

Web Original

Western Animation

  • Hello Nurse from Animaniacs who in one has 157 IQ and another 192!
  • As shown in the page image, April O' Neil from the 2003 series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of these; being the first media adaptation to harken back to her original portrayal in the Mirage comics (worked with Baxter Stockman right before he went openly evil), rather than a TV news reporter like every other adaptation until that point.
    • This is only really an important aspect of her character at the beginning of the series, though. After Stockman becomes a criminal, she changes professions to running an antique store and her work with Stockman is only brought up again occasionally.
  • Eek! The Cat parodied it in its Sci Fi parody, with Elmo having to choose between the plan of an Einstein-looking super-genius, or the plan of the Bambi twins, who had gotten a B+ in physics.
  • The Futurama movie had a sexy young doctor named Dr. Kayhill, (although Fry just called her Dr. Good and Sexy) who - despite her insistence that her attractive nature didn't make her a bimbo - was in fact a bimbo.
  • Dr Vivian Porter from Kim Possible is both blond, highly attractive, and very competent. And used as the aesop.
    • Kim's mom might count too. She is a brain surgeon after all...and its been mentioned that she did pioneering work on using lasers for sub cranial probing.
  • Lampshaded in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Greatest Story Never Told": Booster Gold saves the world with the aid of a hot scientist. He immediately states that this is the best possible outcome: the League is currently battling with an evil magician, so he is the only one who'll save the day and get the girl.
    • Also, (believe it or not), Wally West aka The Flash happens to be a hawt red-headed forensic scientist. :D
  • Gadget Hackwrench from Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers must be mentioned here. Not only is she smart enough to build a fully functional manned spacecraft out of, again, junkyard stuff, she's also attractive enough to have an unusual number of fanboys after her...
  • Crystal Kane from Centurions: scientist, redhead, smart. Also fully qualified to act as a Centurion in time of dire need.
  • Dr. Holiday in Generator Rex also fits the bill.
  • Spicy Latina Dr. Cecilia, from Cro.
  • Spider-Man: The Animated Series had Alistair Smythe, a wheelchair-bound roboticist. Just before he was turned into an incredibly buff mutant monster, it was revealed that he was an incredibly buff scientist when he was shown strapped naked to a mutant-creating machine against his will. He had six-packs and surprisingly well-developed legs.
  • Katie Dodd a fox scientist who appeared in a two part Tale Spin episode "For Whom the Bell Klangs"; she was on a mission to find a lost city and collect some bells for the museum.
  • Johnny Test's sisters Mary and Susan. Twins, redheads, glasses, labcoats...
  • Doctor Blight in Captain Planet and the Planeteers. At least until the one ep where her hair is blown up and you can see the scarred half of her face...
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