What kind of scientist is Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park?

What kind of scientist is Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park? She is a paleobotanist.

Paleobotany is the study of ancient plants and plant life, including fossilized leaves, pollen, seeds, and other botanical evidence. That specialty fits Sattler's role in the story: she can recognize the significance of prehistoric plant material and assess the living vegetation created or preserved on Isla Nublar.

The character is commonly confused with Alan Grant, her colleague and former student adviser in some versions of the story. Grant is a paleontologist, a scientist who studies ancient life through fossils, especially vertebrates in his case. Sattler's expertise is narrower and plant-focused, so “paleontologist” is not the most precise answer to this question.

Laura Dern played Sattler in the 1993 film. The movie also gives her an active role beyond scientific observation: she investigates the park's plants and helps restore its power systems during the crisis. Later Jurassic Park stories revisit the character, but her defining scientific specialty remains paleobotany.