UC San Diego Ranks 9th in the World for Most Influential Researchers

Global leader

UC San Diego ranks 9th globally (tied with The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, Germany's premier, non-university research organization dedicated to fundamental research at 84 Institutes on the prestigious list, maintaining its position as a leader within the University of California system and the top-ranked public research university in the United States.

With researchers spanning disciplines from neuroscience and bioengineering to economics and environmental science, this year’s designation highlights UC San Diego’s strong influence in the global research community.

"We are thrilled but not surprised to see UC San Diego once again ranked among the top institutions for Highly Cited Researchers worldwide," said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "This recognition affirms the extraordinary contributions of our faculty members whose pioneering work is advancing human knowledge and addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Their influence extends far beyond the lab, helping to shape global innovations in healthcare, sustainability and technology."

The Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list includes 6,636 researchers from institutions in 59 countries and regions. A total of 6,886 designations were issued, with some researchers recognized for their contributions in more than one field. UC San Diego’s honorees include four researchers who have distinctions in more than one field.

The UC system of 10 campuses is once again a global leader for influential researchers. This year's list includes 260 faculty and scientists named among the top 1% in their respective fields.

UC San Diego was the only institution in the UC system included in the top 10.

Three other UC campuses were listed among the top 50 global institutions recognized by Clarivate, including UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley in a tie for 12th place with 52 HCRs each and UCLA ranked 23rd with 43 HCRs.

UC San Diego innovation

The recognition of UC San Diego researchers is not just a reflection of academic excellence but also of the university’s robust innovation ecosystem. Several researchers on this year’s list are also successful entrepreneurs who are translating their groundbreaking work into real-world solutions.

For example, Joseph Wang, a prolific inventor and mentor, is part of a team (led by Sheng Xu, who is also perenially among the highly cited) that has developed a wearable ultrasound device that can provide long-term, wireless monitoring of muscle activity with potential applications in healthcare and human-machine interfaces. The battery-powered device enables high-resolution tracking of muscle function without invasive procedures and is designed to stick to the skin with a layer of adhesive.

Wang is also part of separate teams that have developed a sweat-powered electronic finger wrap that has the potential to continuously monitor vital chemical levels — such as glucose, vitamins, and even drugs. And a team developing microscopic robots, known as microrobots, capable of swimming through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors.

“It is no coincidence that many of UC San Diego’s highly cited researchers are also highly successful entrepreneurs. Their ability to translate cutting-edge research into impactful solutions is a testament to the university’s unique culture of innovation, which supports faculty and researchers every step of the way, from discovery to commercialization,” said Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation Corinne Peek-Asa.

Standouts among standouts

UC San Diego continues to attract exceptional talent across multiple fields.

Rob Knight, a professor, director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation and international leader in the study of the roles microbes play in human health and disease, has been recognized year-after-year in multiple categories. Last year he was named a Citation Laureate for work deemed to be of Nobel class and this year he was recognized in three fields: molecular biology and genetics, biology and biochemistry and microbiology.

Knight is one of only 22 researchers globally, who were recognized in three or more fields in the 2024 rankings. This accomplishment includes less than 1% of researchers on the HCR listing of researchers in the top 1% of their fields. And as a testament to his outsized influence on research, a number of students trained in his labs are also now on the HCR list.

Knight's groundbreaking work in microbiome research continues to reshape our understanding of the human body’s microbial ecosystems, with a growing impact on healthcare, biotechnology and environmental science.

Among other recurring thought-leaders on the list, Pieter Dorrestein, a professor of pharmacy, pharmacology, and pediatrics is also featured. Dorrestein is a chemist who has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher for the past seven years and is recognized in both microbiology and the biology and biochemistry category.

Dorrestein is developing experimental and computational strategies to decode the microbiome's language, a breakthrough that could revolutionize our understanding of human health. His work promises to enable more precise stratification of clinical studies based on microbial metabolites, diet, medications and other exposure patterns. These approaches that enable the deciphering of the microbial language may lead to new treatments of metabolic disorders, infections, and even memory function. 

Two UC San Diego affiliates were also among those recognized in multiple fields: Bjoern Peters, honored in biology and biochemistry, as well as immunology; and Daniela Weiskopf, who was honored in immunology, in addition to the molecular biology and genetics category.

Key indicator

The Highly Cited Researchers list is one of the key indicators used to assess an institution’s global research standing, such as in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). UC San Diego now ranks 3rd among U.S. public universities according to the ARWU’s 2024 Rankings.

This year, 6,886 Highly Cited Researchers designations were issued to 6,636 individuals. The number of awards exceeds the number of unique individuals because some researchers, like Knight, are recognized in more than one field of research.

The company said the selected scholars ranked in the top 1% in their respective fields over the past decade based on citation records.

The Highly Cited Researchers list is significant for many reasons, including the fact that it is one of six indicators used to evaluate The Academic Ranking of World Universities, in which UC San Diego was ranked 3rd in the nation in 2024. Other criteria include the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals; the number of articles published in the journals Nature and Science; the number of articles indexed in the Science Citation Index - Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index; and per capita performance.

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