52 UC San Diego Researchers Are Most Highly Cited in Their Fields

Number of highly cited researchers from UC San Diego increases 13 percent

By:

Michelle Franklin

Media Contact:

Michelle Franklin - m1franklin@ucsd.edu

November 25, 2019

By:

Michelle Franklin

Fifty-two faculty members and researchers at the University of California San Diego are among the world’s most influential in their fields. The Web of Science Group, an information and technology provider for the global scientific research community, compiled its 2019 Highly Cited Researchers list of more than 6,000 scientists from around the world whose studies were among the top 1% of most-cited publications in their field over the past 11 years.

The number of highly cited researchers from UC San Diego increased by 13% over last year’s number of forty-six. The listing covers 21 fields of study as well as a “cross-field” category for researchers who are widely cited across multiple fields. UC San Diego had researchers listed in 14 fields, with the most cited in cross-field (23), followed by molecular biology and genetics (5), clinical medicine (4) and social sciences (4).

“UC San Diego has some of the most dedicated, brilliant and hard-working faculty and researchers in the world. Their inclusion on the list of highly cited researchers is a measure of their impact in their respective fields of study as they continue to advance the frontiers of knowledge,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.

Of particular note is Director for the Center of Microbiome Innovation Rob Knight’s inclusion in three separate areas of study (biology and biochemistry, environment and ecology, microbiology). Out of 6,216 highly cited researchers, only 11 were cited in three fields, making Knight part of a super elite 0.3% of those listed.

There were also 23 Nobel laureates on the list, one of whom, Roger Tsien, was a distinguished professor of both Pharmacology in the School of Medicine and of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego until his death in 2016. He shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with two others in 2008 for discovering and developing green fluorescent protein.

David Pendlebury, Senior Citation Analyst at the Web of Science Group’s Institute for Scientific Information said that the highly cited researchers “create gains for society, innovation and knowledge that make the world healthier, richer, more sustainable and more secure.”

“It is especially encouraging to see not only the number of highly cited researchers at the university, but the broad range of fields in which they are cited. It really speaks to the fact that UC San Diego conducts groundbreaking research across a wide range of disciplines,” said Vice Chancellor for Research Sandra A. Brown. “I congratulate everyone on their excellent research and contributions.”

The 52 UC San Diego faculty members named by Web of Science and the fields of study in which they were cited are:

Gregory Aarons, social sciences

Ludmil Alexandrov, molecular biology and genetics

David Brenner, cross-field

Kristin Cadenhead, psychiatry/psychology

Kelli Cain, social sciences

Shu Chien, cross-field

Don Cleveland, neuroscience and behavior

Seth Cohen, chemistry

Pieter Dorrestein, cross-field

Mark Ellisman, cross-field

Mark Estelle, plant and animal science