It's a different kind of research than what you're probably looking for, but I've really enjoyed Kim Stanley Robinson in part because he has a lot of characters doing different kinds of research. It's hard sci-fi, though. I loved Red Mars, but I'm not through that trilogy yet so I can't speak to the rest of it.

But like I said, Red Mars is hard sci-fi. With massive amounts of politics. It's not for everyone, but it does have interesting characters running around their shiny new planet exploring and building and doing research.