You can't predict what the next great discovery will be, or where it'll come from. Generally however, they're on the theoretical side, not the experimental side

You can't predict what the next great discovery will be, or where it'll come from. Generally however, they're on the theoretical side, not the experimental side, so your point doesn't really stand. Those big machines rarely do little more than confirm exiting theories and those theories can very well come from one person who is anti-social. Science is about being right; not about getting along with your peers.