In this article, the genesis of the visible expert (visible for policymakers, the media and the general public) is studied on an individual or micro-level by examining a number of stages between the late 1970s and the present day. Although textual sources (media coverage, policy reports and so on) are used as a backdrop and frame of reference, the basic source of input for my study is a series of narrative interviews with the experts themselves. Before turning to the case study as such, I will outline the theoretical and methodological framework of my research. I will also place biographical research in the broader field of science studies and discuss the methodological opportunities and risks involved in such an approach.