Science

Science is primarily focused around gaining Research points to unlock new technologies for the entire crew to use, as well as using these technologies to help the station.

Point Sources

These are all different ways to make points, they don't come with assigned jobs so feel free to pickup whatever other scientists aren't busy with, or ask them about what they are doing.

Artifacts

Place an artifact on a scanner, and use the analysis console to determine what you need to do to activate a node. Make sure to check what effect will happen first! no one wants their science room exploding five minutes into the shift.

Non-point benefits

Artifacts can create useful resources for the station, cause various effects, become sentient, gain the same functions as tools, and occasionally can make anomalies. Simply use an artifact to re-activate its most recent nodes (has limited uses).

if you find a useful node, grind up some artifact fragments and combine them with glue (ask chem or order toy crates) to make artifact glue, which restores uses of nodes when its splashed on an artifact.

Anomalies

Create an anomaly in a random place on the station with the anomaly generator, find it and then scan it and bring your scanner back to an anomaly server to link it. This will generate points passively. Make sure to keep an eye on it and use the particles from the A.P.E. to prevent it from going critical.

Non-point benefits

Anomalies are generally harmful to the crew. Some beneficial effects such as random chemicals from a liquid anomaly do exist. You can also bring the cores left over from an anomaly to a chaplain to enchant items with!

Xenobiology

Feed monkeys to slimes, let the slimes reproduce, and then turn them into extracts that you can turn in for research points at the xenobiology bounty console. Each generation has a chance to mutate into a different slime, with different point values.

Non-point benefits

Slime extracts can be injected with water, plasma, and blood to create different reactions, these will generally provide interesting effects or items that can improve the station. Such as bluespace carpets which improve walking speed.

Bonus Sources

Salvage can bring in research disks which must be slotted into the research server, as well as experimental AI boards which give the AI whacky laws, in exchange for research points.

Robotics

Roboticists have the duty of creating borgs for the station, as well as maintaining them and other cybernetic organisms.

Being an Antagonist

The science lathe is one of the most plentiful sources of items in the game, and you will also be able to direct what research is prioritized, focus unlocking something useful for your objectives! The quantum-spin inverter can be used to get somewhere you shouldn't, or to get OUT of a bad scenario via its nearly instant teleport. Be sure to break the link after if you don't want someone to follow you or teleport you back! The C.H.I.M.P. can be upgraded with the upgrade chip from traitor uplink, or emag'ing your science drobe, this lets it deal extra damage and crit anomalies VERY quickly for causing chaos.

Artifacts have a variety of harmful effects, such as large explosions, or the creation of harmful gases. As well as a few helpful effects, like increased speed, working as a tool, or the creation of chemicals. Use these to help your objectives, try crushing and remaking artifacts to reroll them until you get something useful and easy to trigger.

Xenobiology is an incredible, if somewhat RNG-reliant, source of useful items. Volatile red jelly removes move speed penalties from a piece of clothing, sepia extracts can be turned into a small radius time freeze, and gold extracts can be turned into mobs, both hostile and friendly.

Robotics is also extremely powerful if you can get some privacy to emag robots, subverting them to your cause. They have all-access and can take a variety of syndicate exclusive modules. You can also give yourself upgraded cybernetics such as lungs to increase stamina, heart to process healing chems better, or speed legs to run faster.

Anomalies are generally less useful, though if one spawns in a department you need be sure to volunteer to "work on it" to get inside, or ask for permission to get access to their department for "emergencies with the anomaly." Besides that, it could be used to cause chaos and a distraction to prevent the AI or security from interrupting you, or if your lucky killing someone and turning them into a loot pinata for you!