Xuemin (Sam) Wang was one of 28 UMSL-connected faculty members identified among the top 2% of researchers in their fields in an analysis conducted by Stanford University. Wang, the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Plant Sciences, was recognized for both his career-long and single-year impact. (Photo by August Jennewein)
Twenty-five current and former University of Missouri–St. Louis faculty members are among the top researchers in their fields as measured by career research awards, and three others ranked among the leaders in their respective fields in 2020, according to an analysis conducted by Stanford University.
The study was titled “August 2021 data-update for ‘Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators.’” It was published online in October and was intended to provide a snapshot of career-long research productivity as of Aug. 1.
Stanford’s analysis examined the number of research publications, citations and other measures of research productivity including career-long and single-year impact. It classified individuals into 22 scientific fields and 176 sub-fields, and UMSL faculty qualified in fields such as biology, business, chemistry, computer science, criminology, education, philosophy, physics and psychology.
Career-long data were updated through the end of 2020, and the selection was based on the top 100,000 researchers as determined by a composite citation metric known as a “c-score” – with and without self-citations – or by their percentile rank of 2% or above.
“UMSL and its faculty continue to make significant contributions to the body of knowledge through their research in a multitude of fields and disciplines, and this study demonstrates the breadth and depth of that work,” said Chris Spilling, UMSL’s vice chancellor for research and economic and community development. “Some of the faculty listed have retired, moved on or passed away, but the impact of their work remains, and we have new generations of faculty committed to building upon and expanding their accomplishments.”
The UMSL researchers listed in either the career or single-year lists are included below, sorted by their research discipline. Those recognized for their career-long impact in their fields are marked with an asterisk (*). Note that UMSL had 16 faculty members recognized for their single-year impact in 2020.
Biology
Deborah Clark, research professor and adjunct associate professor, biology*
David Clark, research professor and adjunct associate professor, biology*
Robert Marquis, professor emeritus, biology*
Patricia Parker, professor, biology*
Robert Ricklefs, professor emeritus, biology*
Xuemin (Sam) Wang, professor, biology*
Chemistry
Gordon Anderson, professor emeritus, chemistry*
James Chickos, professor emeritus, chemistry*
Alexei Demchenko, professor emeritus, chemistry*
George Gokel, professor emeritus, chemistry*
Robert W. Murray, professor emeritus, chemistry*
Economics and Business
James Breaugh, professor, business management*
James Campbell, professor, supply chain and analytics*
Yiuman Tse, professor, finance*
George Zsidisin, professor, supply chain and analytics*
Information and Communication Technologies
Uday Chakraborty, professor, computer science*
Lav Gupta, assistant professor, computer science
Cezary Janikow, associate professor, computer science*
Jianli Pan, associate professor, computer science
Philosophy and Theology
Gualtiero Piccinini, professor, philosophy*
Physics and Astronomy
Ta Pei Cheng, professor emeritus, physics*
Frank Moss, professor emeritus, physics (deceased)*
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
Zoe Peterson, associate professor, psychology
Social Sciences
Robert Bursik, professor emeritus, criminology (deceased)*
Beth Huebner, professor, criminology*
Janet Lauritsen, professor, criminology*
Richard Rosenfeld, professor emeritus, criminology*
Rebecca Rogers, professor, education*
