The scientist who won a Nobel Prize for pioneering work in the study of stellar evolution is Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. He shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics with William Fowler for his "theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars".

Chandrasekhar made significant contributions to our understanding of how stars evolve, including:

* The Chandrasekhar limit: This limit defines the maximum mass a white dwarf star can have before collapsing under its own gravity.

* Stellar structure and evolution: He developed mathematical models to describe the internal structure and evolution of stars, taking into account factors like gravity, pressure, and nuclear fusion.

* White dwarf stars: He conducted extensive research on the properties and formation of white dwarf stars, the remnants of stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel.

His work revolutionized our understanding of stellar evolution and laid the foundation for modern astrophysics.