Behind every groundbreaking discovery lies a dedicated researcher whose work resonates across their field. These influential studies not only advance understanding of critical topics but also inspire innovative solutions across disciplines.
鈥淥ur top rankings underscore our dedication to research excellence and innovation.鈥� 鈥� Winston Schoenfeld, vice president for research and innovation
Recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked 麻豆原创 among its 2024-25 Best Global Universities 鈥� highlighting 麻豆原创鈥檚 excellence in education across many areas. Among these rankings, 麻豆原创 received quite a few for highly cited publications.
鈥淲e pride ourselves on the impactful research of our faculty, staff and students,鈥� says Winston Schoenfeld, 麻豆原创鈥檚 vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淥ur top rankings underscore our dedication to research excellence and innovation, and I am delighted to see a number of our 麻豆原创 researchers recognized among the most cited in their fields.鈥�
From optics and photonics to health and education, the fingerprints of 麻豆原创鈥檚 highly cited researchers leave marks on advancements in their fields.
Harnessing Light: Applications of Optics and Photonics
麻豆原创 is a global leader in optics and photonics, ranking No. 29 in the world, according to U.S. News & World Report. 麻豆原创 also ranks among the top 10 in the nation for the field 鈥� as well as No. 5 for total optics publications, optics citations and the number of optics publications among the 10% most cited.
These citations are a reflection of advancements in technologies used daily, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and glass.
Several faculty in 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Optics and Photonics are highly-cited researchers in their field. One of whom is Pegasus Professor Shin-Tson Wu, whose work has been cited more than 52,000 times, according to Google Scholar (the source used for all following citation counts). Wu鈥檚 pioneering research has led to cutting-edge display technologies, including smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and, more recently, augmented reality and virtual reality 鈥� making them more energy-efficient, vibrant and versatile. This year, Wu received 麻豆原创鈥檚 inaugural Medal of Societal Impact for his contributions to the field.
鈥淢y main priority is not myself,鈥� Wu says. 鈥淚 am delighted to see my research making impact to the society. A rich life to me is not just about money. It鈥檚 helping others have better lives.鈥�
鈥淚 am delighted to see my research making impact to the society. A rich life to me is not just about money. It鈥檚 helping others have better lives.鈥� 鈥� Shin-Tson Wu, Pegasus Professor
Kathleen Richardson, whose expertise is in high tech glass design and fabrication has earned her over 17,800 citations, established and directs 麻豆原创鈥檚 Glass Processing and Characterization Laboratory. At the lab, she and a team of students design and process novel glass and glass ceramic materials for varying applications. The unique optical properties embedded in the materials have a vast field of applications from thermal imaging instrumentation on a Mars rover to optical phase change materials that change their physical state once triggered by an outside source such as light, which may be useful for detecting toxic leaks.
鈥淢ost people don鈥檛 realize the role glass plays in our lives,鈥� Richardson said in a 2022 article about her involvement with the United Nation鈥檚 Year of Glass. 鈥淔rom Egyptian glass art to infrared security cameras made possible because of glass with special properties, glass has changed our lives. And only now is glass really being recognized for its versatile and renewable possibilities as a sustainable option for challenging problems.鈥�
Fueling Optimal Performance: Nutrition and Exercise Science
Human health and quality of life is another area 麻豆原创 faculty help improve through their curriculum, research and published work.
麻豆原创 ranks No. 92 for Public, Environmental and Occupational Health 鈥� placing the university in the top 18% of institutions worldwide, according to the U.S. News & World Report. This year鈥檚 ranking is also a 72-spot advancement from the previous ranking.
Researchers, including those in the College of Health and Human Performance (CHPS), at 麻豆原创 are No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited in public, environmental and occupational health, and No. 5 in the world.
Jeff Stout, the founding Director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, is one of the world鈥檚 leading researchers on of creatine and other dietary supplements and nutritional interventions for performance enhancement 鈥� with nearly 27,000 career citations. The Pegasus Professor has researched ways to use nutrition and exercise to improve health for older adults experiencing muscle loss and reduced mobility. His work has also focused on sarcopenia, a condition characterized by loss of muscle mass and function that typically begins after 30.
鈥淭he goal of my research is to figure out what is the most optimal way, from both nutritional and exercise perspectives, to slow down the loss of strength and muscle as we age.” 鈥� Jeff Stout, Pegasus Professor
鈥淭he goal of my research is to figure out what is the most optimal way, from both nutritional and exercise perspectives, to slow down the loss of strength and muscle as we age. This is crucial because the quality of our life in later years is directly affected by these factors,鈥� says Stout. 鈥淵ou want to maintain as much muscle, strength and functionality as possible. Skeletal muscle is very important to overall health. It鈥檚 a reservoir of nutrients that our body needs when under stress.鈥�
Some of the most significant findings Stout has discovered include that a combination of resistance training and consuming protein daily promotes muscle growth. Additionally, research shows that consuming 1.4 grams to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight helps adults who exercise regularly maintain sufficient muscle mass.
Excellence in research also extends to staff and leadership at 麻豆原创.
With over 21 years of faculty experience at various R1 institutions, Joel Cramer joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 CHPS in 2022 as senior associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.
His research spans human skeletal muscle health and metabolism across the lifespan. His more recent work aims to identify slower-digesting carbohydrates that don鈥檛 spike blood sugar, or insulin levels, which can aid in understanding of diabetes and related diseases. Much of his research, which has been cited more than 15,000 times, has also been sponsored by the USDA and nutritional supplement companies.
鈥淎 lot of food products and dietary supplements that are on the market are not particularly well-regulated and anything that we can do to improve the science of understanding of those products is good, so the impact is great for the consumer,鈥� he says.
Cramer鈥檚 research impacts extend across the campus community, as he has a passion for supporting young researchers. On Aug. 8, he鈥檒l be broadening that reach across research and faculty support when he becomes 麻豆原创鈥檚 interim vice provost for faculty excellence.
鈥淚t takes a lot of hard work at the beginning [of researchers鈥� careers] to be, first, published and then cited,鈥� Cramer says. 鈥淯nderstanding and navigating those waters is probably the No. 1 thing I can contribute the most here in the world of university metrics for scholarship.鈥�
Enhancing Education: Improving Student and Teacher Outcomes
For the first time, U.S. News & World Report ranks 麻豆原创 in the category of Education and Education Research 鈥� placing the university at No. 94 in the world. 麻豆原创 also ranks in the top 40 in the nation.麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Community Innovation and Education faculty have earned the university the No. 2 in the nation and No. 4 in the world rankings for the percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% in education and educational research. Learning sciences is a field that aims to advance learning for all, from English to engineering, and research in this area has an exponential impact. For over 10 years, Assistant Professor Michelle Taub has studied positive and negative influences on learning, which has led her to become one of the most highly cited researchers in her field.
With nearly 2,400 career citations, much of the self-described data nerd鈥檚 work explores self-regulation, which involves learners鈥� ability to monitor and regulate their thought, emotional and motivational processes.
To help enhance students鈥� learning experiences, researchers across disciplines reach out to Taub for her expertise on learning. At 麻豆原创, she鈥檚 helping engineering faculty enhance foundation course teaching for students. She鈥檚 also supporting the 麻豆原创 Coastal FCI鈥檚 Gulf Scholars Program, which aims to recruit students invested in addressing critical problems facing the Gulf of Mexico region.
鈥淢y goal is to help learners and that’s a goal that other people are sharing.鈥� 鈥� Michelle Taub, assistant professor
鈥淢y goal is to help learners and that’s a goal that other people are sharing,鈥� Taub says. 鈥淚t’s a really good feeling [when other faculty reach out for collaborative projects] because that demonstrates I鈥檓 not just doing the research for me to do the research, but it鈥檚 actually research that is helping students and teachers.鈥�
Her expertise is also being leveraged on studies with researchers at other institutions, as she鈥檚 a co-principal investigator on a North Carolina State University project aimed at enhancing math and special education, as well as interest in STEM careers, through a video game embedded within a fraction curriculum.
Careers in STEM are growing twice as fast as non-STEM careers, with 11.2 million projected position available by 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While there are many efforts happening nationally to increase students鈥� interest, access, and success in STEM, research around this topic is critical to making sure the most effective strategies are being implemented.
Professor and Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar Chair Sarah Bush鈥檚 research, which she鈥檚 been building on for nearly 15 years, aims to improve STE(A)M education, particularly mathematics. As a former middle school mathematics teacher, Bush knows firsthand the experiences and pressures students and educators face in classrooms.
With over 2,100 career citations, one of her most influential works relates to the benefit of informal learning experiences, such as summer programs, on students鈥� STEM learning and interest in STEM careers. These experiences have been shown to provide context and purpose to formal learning, provide opportunity and access to STEM education for students, and extend STEM content learning and engagement. This work has been part of Bush鈥檚 research as a member of the STEM Rocks Research Collective, which consists of STEM education professionals across more than a dozen institutions in the United States.
鈥淭he goal of my research, across numerous STE(A)M education projects and programs, has been to examine how meaningful integration of the STE(A)M disciplines empowers educators and students to be advocates and empathetic solution seekers as they pursue transformational ideas that continue advancing our world,鈥� she says.
