Continuity mistake: When Nedry's car is stuck in the mud, he goes out front to grab his winch and pulls out a fair bit of wire. In the next shot, we see that he has a lot less wire than before, even though we never heard the winch retract.
Continuity mistake: Ian gets out of the car to distract the dinosaur. Inside the car, he's nice and dry, but the second he gets out of the car, he looks like he's stood in a bathroom shower for ten minutes.
Continuity mistake: When the Dilophosaur spits on Nedry the second time, it is only on his forehead and eyes. In the next shot, a second later, it is all over his face and cheeks. It was too soon for the rain to have washed it down that far.
Answer: They are not paleontologists, just people interested in dinosaurs. It is common for museums and other scientific organizations to offer the general public an opportunity to participate in a real paleontology dig. For a fee, they become an exhibition team member for a period of time, learn about dinosaurs, help excavate fossils, and so on. This is likely how Dr. Grant (or his institution) supplements his research funding.
raywest ★