Science officer

A ship's Science Officer is responsible for investigating any new phenomenon and acts as an advisor to the command staff regarding questions of science, such as spatial phenomenon, new lifeforms and unknown energy forces. The Science Officer presides over all science missions performed by the ship, and is in charge of any visiting science teams. Not all Federation vessels have science officers. On those ships, science duties are often delegated to the operations officer. Scientific research starships, however, have large science departments and the CO and/or XO are usually science specialists in their own right. All Federation ships sent on exploration missions always have a science officer aboard.