noun
engineer; engineering scholar
Refers to a person who studies or researches engineering, often in an academic or R&D context. Not typically used for a technician or field engineer.
彼は大学で教える工学者です。
He is an engineering scholar who teaches at a university.
その工学者は新しい素材の研究をしている。
The engineer is researching new materials.
エンジニア is a common loanword for 'engineer' in both practical and software contexts, whereas 工学者 is more formal and scholarly.
Compound of 工学 (engineering) + 者 (person). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the term follows standard Sino-Japanese word formation.