Sentientologist

A sentientologist was a scientist who studied the biology, culture, and history of the galaxy's wide variety of sentient races and species. The University of Sanbra's Sentient Studies Department was one of the main centers for the study of sentientology. Scholars at the University of Coruscant were also influential in the field. Under the New Republic, a multi-species committee of scholars at the University of Coruscant were responsible for classifying species as sentient, semi-sentient, or non-sentient.

Prominent sentientologists of the Imperial era included:
 * Obo Rin, an Imperial functionary who wrote two editions of Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy under Darth Vader's sponsorship.
 * Ditwar Logas, a renowned scholar who Obo Rin enhanced his reputation by claiming to have worked with (though these claims were suspect).
 * Tem Eliss, an Iyra professor at the University of Sanbra who wrote The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life.
 * Senior Anthropologist Mammon Hoole, an independent Shi'ido researcher who was the major contributor to The Essential Guide to Alien Species.

Behind the scenes
This appears to be the in-universe equivalent to anthropology, the "study of man."