Students and alumni know that UC Riverside faculty are top notch. This year, Clarivate Analytics once again shows the rest of the world knows this too, with five UCR faculty included on their annual Highly Cited list.
Only one out of every 1,000 scientists considered from a total of 59 countries was selected for inclusion on the list.
These faculty members were chosen for the widespread and significant impact they’ve had in their respective research fields. Reviewers looked not just at how often their work is cited by other researchers, but also at strong evidence, both quantitative and qualitative, that their discoveries are helping shape the direction of science, technology, and higher education.
The reviewers also used advanced digital checks to catch things like unusually high publishing rates, too much self-citation, or other odd patterns in someone’s record. These steps helped make sure the researchers truly meet list’s high inclusion standards.
Some researchers were recognized for contributions to more than one field, resulting in a total of 7,131 awards that went to 6,868 individuals. Those from UCR include:
Julia Bailey-Serres, (plant and animal science category), University of California MacArthur Foundation Chair and distinguished professor of genetics. Her lab harnesses genetic mechanisms that provide climate change resilience to crops. The lab is particularly focused on flood, drought, and nutrient stress resilience. Bailey-Serres has been included on every Highly Cited list since 2014.
Hailing Jin, (plant and animal science category), Cy Mouradick Endowed Chair and professor of microbiology and plant pathology. Jin studies the role of RNA in the interactions between plants and microbes, as well as the molecular mechanisms of plant immunity. The overall goal of her lab is to develop effective and environmentally friendly means to control plant diseases and ensure sufficient food production.
Bruce Link, (social sciences category), distinguished professor of public policy and sociology. Link conducts research aimed at understanding health disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, the consequences of social stigma for people with mental illnesses, and the connection between mental illnesses and violent behaviors. He has been on the Highly Cited list every year since 2016.
Timothy Lyons, (geosciences category), distinguished professor of biogeochemistry. Lyons’ work explores the evolving oceans and atmosphere, and their roles in the origin and evolution of life. As director of UCR’s NASA-funded Alternative Earths Astrobiology Center, he is known for developing tools to reconstruct ephemeral landscapes of lost worlds using chemical fingerprints locked in ancient rocks. This is his 9th year on the Highly Cited list.
Yadong Yin, (cross field category), professor of chemistry. The Yin laboratory synthesizes new materials with at least one dimension at the nanometer scale. These materials are sometimes referred to as ‘artificial atoms.’ He has been on the Highly Cited list every year since 2014.
Clarivate Analytics is a global company with over 12,000 experts offering data, analytics, workflow solutions and consulting services to academia and government as well as life sciences and healthcare companies.
In a news release, the company provided insights into Highly Cited Researchers named to the list over the last 10 years, between 2014 – 2024. The U.S. leads in overall citations, with a total of 24,973 researchers receiving awards during this time period. However, the number of U.S. awards has been declining, while the number of awards to researchers in Mainland China and Hong Kong have been rising.
For the full list, as well as additional information about selection criteria, visit the Clarivate website.