Kristin Barry, a neuroscientist, had always wanted a tattoo, and after earning her PhD in neuroscience in 2019, she decided it was the perfect time to get one. Barry, whose research focused on hearing-loss disorders like tinnitus, spent much of her time studying auditory thalamus neurons—nerve cells responsible for processing sound. The neurons were often stained using the Golgi method, highlighting their tree-like dendrites, which resembled intricate, delicate tendrils—an image that translated perfectly into a fine-line tattoo. Barry decided to place her tattoo behind her ear, marking a significant personal and professional milestone. She hadn’t expected the tattoo to become such a prominent part of her identity, but over time, it became a meaningful symbol of both her academic journey and her passion for neuroscience.
Barry isn’t alone in using tattoos as a way to commemorate research accomplishments. For many scientists, tattoos are a deeply personal and symbolic way to mark significant career milestones. As science journalist Carl Zimmer points out in his 2011 book Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed, “It’s one thing to put on your CV ‘I wrote a paper on this topic,’ but it’s another thing to say ‘I’m going to put this on my skin and carry it around with me for the rest of my life.’” Tattoos offer a deeper, more permanent connection to the work scientists are passionate about.
Zimmer’s interest in science tattoos began unexpectedly at a pool party, where he noticed a neuroscientist friend had a tattoo on his shoulder featuring the initials of his wife encoded in genetic code. This sparked a realization that tattoos were more common in the scientific community than he had previously thought. Zimmer reached out to other scientists and was overwhelmed by the number of responses he received, eventually leading him to compile over 300 tattoo designs in his book. He estimates that he saw about 1,000 science-related tattoos over the years, many of which were deeply personal to the scientists who wore them.
Some of the most popular science tattoo designs include double-stranded DNA helixes, Darwin’s finches, and the famous mass-energy equivalence formula E=mc², a nod to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. These tattoos span a wide range of scientific disciplines, from biology and physics to neuroscience and paleontology, and often hold profound personal meaning for the wearer. For example, Yoshi Maezumi, a palaeoecologist, started her tattoo sleeve with a hummingbird native to the Amazon rainforest, reflecting her PhD research. Over time, the tattoo expanded to include other species she studied, creating a visual record of her scientific journey. “Tattoos are like a scrapbook of things I’ve been collecting along the way,” she explains. “They’re really personal, sentimental memories.”
For Matt Taylor, a physicist at the European Space Agency, tattoos represent pivotal moments in his career. His right leg, dubbed his “mission leg,” features tattoos related to two major space missions: Cluster and Rosetta. The Cluster mission was the first to investigate how the Sun’s solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field in 3D, while Rosetta was the first mission to rendezvous with, orbit, and deploy a lander on a comet. Taylor, who joined the Rosetta mission just before the spacecraft came out of hibernation in 2013, made a vow that if the spacecraft succeeded, he would commemorate the mission with a tattoo. As he recalls, “When you move into a team with such a long history, you need to show your commitment. I made a promise to myself that I would get the tattoo if Rosetta came out of hibernation.”
Similarly, Liz Haynes, a cell biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has a tattoo that represents a plant species she studied during her undergraduate years. The tattoo serves as a reminder of the positive experience and mentorship she received, as well as the lessons that shaped her career. “One of the things I took away was that I wanted to help guide others into grad school and provide mentorship, just like I had,” she says.
Despite the personal significance of these tattoos, many scientists report feeling concerned about how their body art might be perceived professionally. In the early 2010s, Yesenia Arroyo, a research assistant and communications specialist at NASA, was hesitant about getting visible tattoos. She already had a tattoo on her spine, but the planetary symbols she was getting on her forearm were more prominent and would be visible in professional settings. “I remember being nervous that it would exclude me from jobs,” she admits. “People might look at me and think, ‘That’s not professional.’” While these concerns were prevalent when she first got the tattoos, Arroyo notes that perceptions have changed over time. “It’s definitely gotten a lot more relaxed,” she says, reflecting the evolving attitudes toward tattoos in the workplace.
Even within organizations like the European Space Agency, attitudes toward tattoos have shifted. In 2014, ESA asked Taylor to cover up his tattoos at a major media event. However, as tattoos became more accepted in the scientific community, the agency started using Taylor’s ink as a conversation starter, promoting them as part of their image. “I think the acceptance of tattoos has changed a lot, especially with younger generations entering the field,” Taylor explains.
While tattoos are becoming more accepted, many scientists still consider their placement carefully to balance personal expression with professionalism. Some, like Haynes and Taylor, opt for tattoos in areas that can be covered by long sleeves or pants. “If I’m wearing long pants and a long-sleeve shirt, none of my tattoos are visible,” says Todd Disotell, a biological anthropologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Disotell, who has over 30 tattoos, notes that while older colleagues may not have tattoos, younger generations of scientists are more likely to embrace body art. “It’s a generational thing,” he says. “All my colleagues who are younger than me have them.”
In the end, tattoos have become a unique way for scientists to immortalize their personal and professional journeys. Whether commemorating a pivotal research project, honoring a mentor, or simply expressing their love for science, tattoos allow these individuals to carry a piece of their career with them in a very personal way. As the stigma around tattoos continues to fade, more scientists are embracing body art as a meaningful and lasting symbol of their passion for discovery.
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