The University of Kentucky is well-represented on a list of the most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University in a partnership with Elsevier, 112 current UK scientists and scholars appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across 22 disciplines.
Citations are one measure of the impact of academic research. For researchers, publishing work in a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal is a key step in sharing research findings and new discoveries.
“Being cited is a sign that your work matters to the research community, and we congratulate these outstanding individuals for this citation recognition,” said Ilhem Messaoudi, PhD, UK acting vice president for research. “We acknowledge that citation metrics are not a perfect measure for the array of research at the University of Kentucky, as they can underrepresent certain fields. Our research crosses all spectrums of inquiry, and we value the contributions of all researchers who are impacting their communities and producing innovations that make Kentucky and the world healthier, wealthier and wiser.”
The database, published in September 2025 and available through the Elsevier Data Repository, was compiled by Stanford faculty member John P.A. Ioannidis. Database inclusion means the individual met a variety of metrics that place them among the top 2% of researchers based on citations for 2024.
The data reported in this article is a snapshot of recent productivity. It includes only citations received during the calendar year 2024, hence it may not reflect career publications. Please see “About Elsevier’s list” below for more information.
Two researchers who appear on Elsevier’s list, also appear on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2005, which includes papers ranked in the top 1% by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science Core Collection over the past 11 years. The researchers on both lists are Youling Xiong, PhD, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and Sherali Zeadally, PhD, College of Communication and Information.
The following current UK researchers (in alphabetical order) appeared on Elsevier’s top 2% of world’s most-cited researchers list:
- Akinbode Adedeji, PhD, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
- John Anthony, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Carl Backer, MD, College of Medicine
- Carol Baskin, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Bjoern Bauer, PhD, College of Pharmacy
- Erhard Bieberich, MD, College of Medicine
- Emma Birks, MD, College of Medicine
- Stephen Borgatti, PhD, Gatton College of Business and Economics
- Carl Bradley, PhD, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
- Christia Spears Brown, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Matthew Bush, MD, College of Medicine
- Jeff Cain, EdD, College of Pharmacy
- Kenneth Campbell, PhD, College of Medicine
- Lisa Cassis, PhD, College of Medicine
- Vincent Cassone, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Yang-Tse Cheng, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- Ann Coker, PhD, College of Medicine
- R. Thomas Collins, MD, College of Medicine
- John D’Orazio, MD, College of Medicine
- Alan Daugherty, PhD, College of Medicine
- Daniel Davenport, PhD, College of Medicine
- William de Souza, PhD, College of Medicine
- Emily DeFranco, DO, College of Medicine
- Florin Despa, PhD, College of Medicine, Lewis Honors College
- Robert DiPaola, MD, College of Medicine
- Stephen Dobson, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Esther Dupont-Versteegden, PhD, College of Health Sciences
- Islam Elgendy, MD, College of Medicine
- Whei-Mei Fan, PhD, College of Medicine
- Gary Ferland, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Charles Fox, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Christopher Fry, PhD, College of Health Sciences
- Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova, PhD, College of Pharmacy
- Brian Gold, PhD, College of Medicine
- Larry Goldstein, MD, College of Medicine
- Phillip Gribble, PhD, College of Health Sciences
- Marcelo Guzman, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College
- Debra Hampton, PhD, College of Nursing
- David Harmon, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- James Hartsfield Jr., DMD, College of Dentistry
- Yosra Helmy, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Terry Hinds, PhD, College of Medicine
- William Inabnet, MD, College of Medicine
- Dan Ionel, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- I.S. Jawahir, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- Gregory Jicha, MD, College of Medicine
- Aardra Kachroo, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Pradeep Kachroo, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Peter J. Kalliney, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College
- Philip Kern, MD, College of Medicine
- Hannah Knudsen, PhD, College of Medicine
- Scott Lephart, PhD, College of Health Sciences
- Keh-Fei Liu, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- TK Logan, PhD, College of Social Work, Lewis Honors College
- Mark Lovell, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Hong Lu, PhD, College of Medicine
- Tie Tie Luo, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- Xin Ma, PhD, College of Education
- Dakshnamoorthy Manivannan, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- David Mannino, MD, College of Medicine
- Michelle Martel, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- John McCarthy, PhD, College of Medicine
- Ilhem Messaoudi, PhD, College of Medicine
- Anne Frances Miller, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Craig Miller, DMD, College of Dentistry
- Luke Moe, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Edward Morris, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Michael Murphy, PhD, College of Medicine
- Peter Nagy, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Mark Newman, MD, College of Medicine
- Tarkington Newman, PhD, College of Social Work
- Brian Noehren, PhD, College of Health Sciences
- Christopher Norris, PhD, College of Medicine
- Jeffrey Okeson, DMD, College of Dentistry
- Chizimuzo “Zim” Okoli, PhD, College of Nursing
- Daniel Pack, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- Subba Reddy Palli, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- John Peloza, PhD, Gatton College of Business and Economics, Lewis Honors College
- Lars Peterson, MD, PhD, College of Medicine
- Hanna Poffenbarger, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Alexander Rabchevsky, PhD, College of Medicine
- Mary Kay Rayens, PhD, College of Nursing
- Kevin Real, PhD, College of Communication and Information
- Howard Roberts, DMD, College of Dentistry
- Jürgen Rohr, PhD, College of Pharmacy
- Frank Romanelli, PharmD, College of Pharmacy, Lewis Honors College
- John Roth, MD, College of Medicine
- Shannon Sauer-Zavala, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Christopher Schardl, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Theodore Schatzki, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- John Schultz, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Jian Shi, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Ginny Sprang, PhD, College of Medicine
- Stefan Stamm, PhD, College of Medicine
- Tom Stout, VetMB, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Surendranath Suman, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Yasuhiro Suzuki, PhD, College of Medicine
- Hollie Swanson, PhD, College of Medicine
- Clayton Thyne, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Mats Troedsson, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Linda Van Eldik, PhD, College of Medicine
- Sidney Whiteheart, PhD, College of Medicine
- Thomas Widiger, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences
- Yadi Wu, PhD, College of Medicine
- Youling Xiong, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Ling Yuan, PhD, Martin-Gatton CAFE
- Sherali Zeadally, PhD, College of Communication and Information
- Chang-Guo Zhan, PhD, College of Pharmacy
- YuMing Zhang, PhD, Pigman College of Engineering
- Binhua Zhou, PhD, College of Medicine
- James Ziliak, PhD, Gatton College of Business and Economics
- Matthew Zook, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences