The scientist who proposed the laws of heredity is Gregor Mendel. He was an Austrian scientist and monk who conducted experiments on pea plants in the mid-19th century. Mendel's work laid the foundation for modern genetics by establishing principles of inheritance through dominant and recessive traits. His observations on the segregation and independent assortment of traits led to his formulation of Mendel's laws, which describe how genetic information is passed from one generation to the next. Although his work was largely unrecognized during his lifetime, it later gained prominence and has had a profound impact on biology and genetics.