52 UC San Diego Researchers Are Named Highly Cited in 2020 Listing

UC San Diego is ranked 8th globally for most highly cited researchers

By:

Michelle Franklin

Media Contact:

Michelle Franklin - m1franklin@ucsd.edu

November 23, 2020

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. Clarivate Plc, a global leader in information and insights that accelerate the pace of innovation, compiled its 2020 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 held steady at 52, the same number as last year. 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 15 fields, with the most cited in cross-field (21), followed by molecular biology and genetics (6) and social sciences (4).

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said, “Our faculty and researchers continue to influence their fields with top-quality, innovative work. Their inclusion on this list of highly cited researchers is one measure of their impact in groundbreaking research taking place across the globe. UC San Diego shines because of our unique, multi-discipline research climate, where collaborators work together to advance the frontiers of knowledge.”

There were more than 1300 research institutions with highly cited researchers, which came from some 60 countries around the world. UC San Diego ranked 8^th overall for institutions with the most highly cited researchers.

David Pendlebury, senior citation analyst at the Institute for Scientific Information, said: “In the race for knowledge, it is human capital that is fundamental and this list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers who are having a great impact on the research community as measured by the rate at which their work is being cited by others.”

Noteworthy this year is Director for the Center of Microbiome Innovation Rob Knight’s inclusion in four separate areas of study (biology and biochemistry, environment and ecology, microbiology, and molecular biology and genetics). Out of 6,389 highly cited researchers, Knight is the only researcher listed in four areas of study.

“Our researchers continue to impress us with their dedication, innovation and relentless pursuit of discovery. Having over 50 highly cited researchers on the list is just one indication of how impactful their work is in advancing all areas of study. The number of different fields in which our researchers are cited 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. “We’re excited to see how this research increases knowledge that can help solve society’s most pressing issues.”

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

Amnon Amir, cross-field

Kelli Cain, social sciences

Don Cleveland, neuroscience and behavior

Seth Cohen, chemistry

Terry Conway, social sciences

Anders Dale, cross-field

Pieter Dorrestein, cross-field

Mark Ellisman, cross-field

Mark Estelle, plant and animal science