List of most highly cited researchers features 20 UCSC scientists and engineers

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A new list of the world's most highly cited researchers includes 20 scientists and engineers at UC Santa Cruz.

The 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list, released November 16 by Clarivate’s Web of Science Group, identifies researchers from across the globe who have demonstrated exceptional influence in their field or fields through the publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade.

The UCSC researchers on the list include materials science researchers Shaowei Chen and Yat Li, both professors of chemistry and biochemistry, and Yichuan Ling, a former graduate student in Li’s lab. Also on the list are three members of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics—Jonathan Fortney, Garth Illingworth, and Rychard Bouwens (now at Leiden University)—and a number of researchers affiliated with the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, including Director David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering, and Associate Director Benedict Paten, an associate professor of biomolecular engineering.

Other genomics researchers on the list include Mark Diekhans, technical director of the Genomics Institute’s Computational Genomics Laboratory, and James Kent, creator and director of the UCSC Genome Browser, along with 10 other members of the Genome Browser Team: Galt Barber, Hiram Clawson, Max Haeussler, Angie Hinrichs, Donna Karolchik, Robert Kuhn, Brian Raney, Kate Rosenbloom, Brian Lee, and Ann Zweig.

The Highly Cited Researchers list recognizes pioneers in their fields over the last decade, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index. Researchers are selected for their exceptional performance in one or more of 21 fields or across several fields.