trailblazer

noun

1. a person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness; pathfinder.
2. a pioneer in any field of endeavor: a trailblazer in science.

noun

1. a leader or pioneer in a particular field
2. a person who blazes a trail

n.

by 1893, from trail (n.) + agent noun from blaze (2).