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.

β€œOur top rankings underscore our dedication to research excellence and innovation.” β€” Winston Schoenfeld, vice president for research and innovation

Recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ among its 2024-25 Best Global Universities β€” highlighting ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s excellence in education across many areas. Among these rankings, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ received quite a few for highly cited publications.

β€œWe pride ourselves on the impactful research of our faculty, staff and students,” says Winston Schoenfeld, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s vice president for research and innovation. β€œOur top rankings underscore our dedication to research excellence and innovation, and I am delighted to see a number of our ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ researchers recognized among the most cited in their fields.”

From optics and photonics to health and education, the fingerprints of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s highly cited researchers leave marks on advancements in their fields.

Harnessing Light: Applications of Optics and Photonics

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is a global leader in optics and photonics, ranking No. 29 in the world, according to U.S. News & World Report. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ also ranks among the top 10 in the nation for the field β€” 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 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s 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’s pioneering research has led to cutting-edge display technologies, including smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and, more recently, augmented reality and virtual reality β€” making them more energy-efficient, vibrant and versatile. This year, Wu received ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s inaugural Medal of Societal Impact for his contributions to the field.

β€œMy main priority is not myself,” Wu says. β€œI am delighted to see my research making impact to the society. A rich life to me is not just about money. It’s helping others have better lives.”

β€œI am delighted to see my research making impact to the society. A rich life to me is not just about money. It’s helping others have better lives.” β€” 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 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s 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.

β€œMost people don’t realize the role glass plays in our lives,” Richardson said in a 2022 article about her involvement with the United Nation’s Year of Glass. β€œFrom 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.”

Fueling Optimal Performance: Nutrition and Exercise Science

Human health and quality of life is another area ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ faculty help improve through their curriculum, research and published work.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ ranks No. 92 for Public, Environmental and Occupational Health β€” placing the university in the top 18% of institutions worldwide, according to the U.S. News & World Report. This year’s ranking is also a 72-spot advancement from the previous ranking.

Researchers, including those in the College of Health and Human Performance (CHPS), at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ 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 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, is one of the world’s leading researchers on of creatine and other dietary supplements and nutritional interventions for performance enhancement β€” 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.

β€œThe 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.” β€” Jeff Stout, Pegasus Professor

β€œThe 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,” says Stout. β€œYou want to maintain as much muscle, strength and functionality as possible. Skeletal muscle is very important to overall health. It’s a reservoir of nutrients that our body needs when under stress.”

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 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½.

With over 21 years of faculty experience at various R1 institutions, Joel Cramer joined ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s 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’t 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.

β€œA 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,” he says.

Cramer’s research impacts extend across the campus community, as he has a passion for supporting young researchers. On Aug. 8, he’ll be broadening that reach across research and faculty support when he becomes ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s interim vice provost for faculty excellence.

β€œIt takes a lot of hard work at the beginning [of researchers’ careers] to be, first, published and then cited,” Cramer says. β€œUnderstanding and navigating those waters is probably the No. 1 thing I can contribute the most here in the world of university metrics for scholarship.”

Enhancing Education: Improving Student and Teacher Outcomes

For the first time, U.S. News & World Report ranks ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in the category of Education and Education Research β€” placing the university at No. 94 in the world. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ also ranks in the top 40 in the nation.ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s 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’s work explores self-regulation, which involves learners’ ability to monitor and regulate their thought, emotional and motivational processes.

To help enhance students’ learning experiences, researchers across disciplines reach out to Taub for her expertise on learning. At ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, she’s helping engineering faculty enhance foundation course teaching for students. She’s also supporting the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Coastal FCI’s Gulf Scholars Program, which aims to recruit students invested in addressing critical problems facing the Gulf of Mexico region.

β€œMy goal is to help learners and that’s a goal that other people are sharing.” β€” Michelle Taub, assistant professor

β€œMy goal is to help learners and that’s a goal that other people are sharing,” Taub says. β€œIt’s a really good feeling [when other faculty reach out for collaborative projects] because that demonstrates I’m not just doing the research for me to do the research, but it’s actually research that is helping students and teachers.”

Her expertise is also being leveraged on studies with researchers at other institutions, as she’s 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’ 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’s research, which she’s 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’ 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’s 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.

β€œThe 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,” she says.