Baylor Faculty Listed Among Top 2% of World’s Most Cited Researchers

Stanford database features 43 current or retired Baylor faculty and postdoctoral researchers on prestigious most-cited list

by Lori Fogleman, Media & Public Relations

October 31, 2024

Bryan W. Brooks, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Public Health and AAAS Fellow, is Baylor University's most-cited researcher in 2023, according to a Stanford University database. Brooks works internationally on water quality, environmental contaminants and sustainability issues while actively including his students in research experiences and "real world" scenarios in the classroom. (Matthew Minard/Baylor University)

Baylor University is well-represented on a prestigious list compiling the top 2% most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University, 43 current or retired Baylor faculty members and postdoctoral researchers appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across into 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification.

Citations are a measure of the impact of faculty research. For researchers, publishing their work in a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal is a key step in getting their research out for other scholars to share and to benefit the public. Once research is in a journal, the next step in extending that work is when other scholars cite that work, meaning they view it as important to understanding their own research or to serve as a foundation on which to springboard further work.

As faculty at a Christian Research 1 university, Baylor researchers are on a trajectory toward greater global impact, guided by the University’s new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds. Journal publication and further citations live out that pursuit. Publication advances professors’ work from the lab or the office to the world at large – a sign of quality, a platform for visibility and the potential for further impact. In that realm, numerous Baylor faculty are among the world’s elite.

“Being cited is a sign that your work matters to a community of scholars and leaders beyond Baylor,” Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., said. “It means your work is significant, credible and influencing the work of others.”

The database, available through the Elsevier Data Repository, was compiled by Stanford professor John P.A. Ioannidis, M.D., D.Sc. A database listing means the faculty member met a variety of metrics that place him or her among the top 2% of researcher citations for single recent-year impact.

Top 2% Most-cited Baylor Researchers

In a Fall 2024 update to the list, the following Baylor faculty members (current and retired, as noted and in alphabetical order) were cited:

• Emmanuel Agamloh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Alexander Beaujean, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
• Matt Bradshaw, Ph.D., Research Professor of Sociology, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
• Bryan W. Brooks, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Public Health
• Dawn Carlson, Ph.D., The H.R. Gibson Chair of Organizational Development-Management and Director of the McBride Center of International Business
• Erik W. Carter, Ph.D., The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities
• Jason R. Carter, Ph.D., Dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences and Professor of Health, Human Performance and Recreation
• Meredith E. David, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
• Thomas A. Fergus, Ph.D., Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology
• Paul Froese, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Director of Baylor Religion Surveys
• Fritz Gesztesy, Ph.D., The Ralph and Jean Storm Professor of Mathematics
• Craig Gundersen, Ph.D., The Snee Family Endowed Chair, Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, and Professor of Economics
• Greg Hamerly, Ph.D., Interim Chair and Professor of Computer Science
• Johnny Henderson, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
• Jun Huang, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher with Tomas Cerny, Ph.D., and Eric Baker, Ph.D., in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2023
• J. Brian Jordon, Ph.D., The Kenneth and Celia Carlile Chair in Materials Science
• Peter G. Klein, Ph.D., The W.W. Caruth Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation and Chair of Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation
• Ivan V. Korendovych, Ph.D., The James R. Schofield Endowed Chair in Biochemistry and Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
• Jayshri Kulkarni, Postdoctoral Research Associate with Yang Li, Ph.D., in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2023
• Kwang Lee, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Dorothy Leidner, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Information Systems and Business Analytics
• Jeff Levin, Ph.D., University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Professor of Medical Humanities and Director of the Program on Religion and Population Health
• Christine A. Limbers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology and Graduate Psy.D. Program Director
• Grant P. Morgan, Ph.D, Associate Dean for Research, School of Education & Professor of Quantitative Methods, Department of Educational Psychology.
• Mitchell J. Neubert, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development-Business, The Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business and Professor of Management
• Holly K. Oxhandler, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research-Social Work and Professor of Social Work
• Jerry Park, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology
• Danielle E. Parrish, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Work in 2023
• James A. Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing
• Robert C. Roberts, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Resident Scholar, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
• Christie M. Sayes, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Science
• Markus H. Schafer, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Graduate Program Director
• Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
• Rodney Stark, Ph.D., Retired Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences (died in 2022)
• Jo-Ann C. Tsang, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology
• Laura Upenieks, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology and Undergraduate Program Director
• Annette von Jouanne, Ph.D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Kirk Wakefield, Ph.D., The Edwin W. Streetman Professorship in Retail Marketing and Executive Director of the Center for Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment
• Alan X. Wang, Ph.D., The Mearse Chair in Biological and Biomedical Engineering Professor
• Anzhong Wang, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
• Marley W. Watkins, Ph.D., Research Professor, Educational Psychology
• Robert Woodberry, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
• Bernd Zechmann, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor and Director of the Center for Microscopy and Imaging

Influential research

Citations are a measure to discern the impact of faculty research in a single recent year, although, as the database compilers note, failure to appear in the database “is simply because the composite indicator value was not high enough to appear on the list. It does not mean that the author does not do good work… Citation metrics have limitations.” This version (7) is based on the Aug. 1, 2024, snapshot from Scopus, updated to end of citation year 2023. Using Scopus data, calculations were performed using all Scopus author profiles as of Aug. 1, 2024.

While far from the only mark of researcher quality and impact, the citations database remains a milestone to celebrate.

“To be among the top 2% of cited researchers in a discipline signifies that you have been involved in work that contributed foundational, if not transformational, knowledge to a given field,” Vice Provost for Research Kevin Chambliss, Ph.D., said. “The more faculty we have on the list, the more ‘seats’ Baylor will occupy ‘at the tables’ where these topics are discussed. This is one of the most important ways that Baylor research can influence national and international conversations and have a positive impact on the world.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu. 

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