And it's that mathematical analysis that allowed him to correctly predict the many different types of phenomenon that we know of today. In fact, it's the work of Gregor Mendel that paved the way to modern day genetics. And that's precisely why we consider Gregor Mendel to be the father or the founder of modern day genetics. Now, why did he actually work with pea plants? What makes pea plants so special? Well, it turns out that the traits of these pea plants are highly variable.