UTRGV Researchers Named in the Worlds Top Scientist List
By Maria Gonzalez
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS - Eighteen UTRGV researchers have been identified among the top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide, according to a recent Stanford University study. This recognition places the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on the global map of excellence across various disciplines including medical, business, engineering, chemistry, and physics.
The study, “ Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators,” was originally published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, PLOS Biology ( Public Library of Science Biology journal) in 2019.
Stanford University has released the latest version, ( https://doi.org/10.17632/btchxktzyw.3) based on the Aug 01, 2021, snapshot from Scopus and is updated to citation year 2020. The classification method is based on citation metrics developed by a group of researchers led by John P.A. Ioannidis, a statistician at Stanford University.
Additionally, the updated database lists over 100,000 top scientists based on the algorithms that quantify and systematically rank how frequently researchers all over the globe are cited in research papers.
“This is surely an interesting and unbiased way to rank the impact of individual scientists and I am personally honored to be on this impressive list of world’s top 2% of scientists with the most impact,” said Dr. Parwinder Grewal, executive vice president for Research, Graduate Studies and New Program Development.
“I am so proud to see so many of our faculty on this list. This bolsters our belief that UTRGV has what it takes to conduct high quality world-class research and achieve its goal of becoming a Research One University in the near future,” he said.
UTRGV is positioned to be a model of a distributed research university with a broad base of excellent researchers. Research impacting the Rio Grande Valley and beyond is a core priority at the university and UTRGV scientists are helping achieve that objective.
“I am proud and excited of the UTRGV Faculty and supporting staff that works tirelessly to perform meaningful research that supports our community, and the world. UTRGV is positioned to be a model of a distributed research university with a broad base of excellent faculty,” said Dr. Thomas Spencer, Associate Vice President for Research Operations.
“This peer-reviewed article demonstrates a method to provide standardization of important researchers, while removing bias and technical boundaries to define impact. This work helps to show that UTRGV, while currently small, is on its way to being an R1 research powerhouse, led by amazing faculty,” Spencer said.
As one of the faculty members recognized, Dr. Subhash Chauhan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology and founding director of the South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research said this achievement can have a significant effect on UTRGV.
“This is a great news for UTRGV,” Chauhan said. “This achievement will help illuminating UTRGV at national and international research forums and receiving UTRGV an international prominence.”
The following UTRGV researchers were included in the ranking of the world’s top research contributors:
Bao-Feng Feng, School of Mathematical and Statistics Sciences, College of Sciences
Blanca I. Restrepo, Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine
Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences
Frank Gilliam, Neurology, School of Medicine
Hale Kaynak, Management, Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship
Helene Krouse, Internal Medicine, School of Medicine
Jason Parsons, Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences
John Blangero, Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine
Karen Lozano, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Lokenath Debnath, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, College of Sciences
Malik Rakhmanov, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences
Murali M. Yallapu, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine
John H. Krouse, Otolaryngology– Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
Parwinder S. Grewal, Executive Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies & New Program
Robert A. Forse, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine
Subhash C. Chauhan, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine
Wenjie Dong, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Zhaosheng Feng, School of Mathematical and Statistics Sciences, College of Sciences
Zhijun Qiao, School of Mathematical and Statistics Sciences, College of Sciences
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.
