In the film Contact, what is the name of the lead scientist?

In the film Contact, the lead scientist is Dr. Ellie Arroway.

Ellie Arroway is an astronomer and radio-astronomer who searches the skies for evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. Played by Jodie Foster in the 1997 film, she leads a team monitoring radio signals from space through the SETI program. Her scientific work is driven partly by childhood memories of communicating with her late father, who encouraged her curiosity about the universe.

Ellie eventually detects a repeating signal from the star Vega. The transmission contains instructions for constructing a mysterious machine, transforming her research from an overlooked scientific project into a global political and religious controversy. After the machine is built, Ellie becomes its first traveler and reports experiencing a profound encounter, although the journey leaves no conventional physical evidence.

David Drumlin is a major rival and administrator, while Palmer Joss is a philosopher and former religious adviser who becomes personally important to Ellie. Neither is the film’s lead scientist. Contact was adapted from Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel, and both versions use Ellie’s story to explore the tension—and possible compatibility—between scientific evidence, belief, and human experience.