Two Waterloo chemists are in the top 1% of citations for their field of study and publication based on Clarivate Analytics’ Highly Cited Researchers™ 2022 list. The annual publication uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify individuals from across the globe who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields of research.
A total of 7,225 researcher awards from 69 countries and regions are recognized this year, including 14 from the University of Waterloo. Among this prestigious list are Professor Juewen Liu and University Professor Linda Nazar from the Department of Chemistry.
The list published by the global analytics firm Clarivate identifies the “who’s who” of influential researchers. Recipients are selected for their exceptional research performance, determined by production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in Web of Science.
David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate said:
“Research fuels the race for knowledge and it is important that nations and institutions celebrate the individuals who drive the wheel of innovation. The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at the University of Waterloo who are having a significant impact on the research community as evidenced by the rate at which their work is being cited by their peers."
Juewen Liu, Department of Chemistry
This is Dr. Juewen Liu's first time appearing on the exclusive Highly Cited Researchers list. He is a research powerhouse with over 36,000 citations, an h-index of 91 and more than 500 publications.
Liu is a leader in the field of bionanotechnology. He's found DNA molecules can be altered to serve as highly selective biosensors and reaction catalysts. He is interested in using DNA and lipids as functional polymers and building blocks to interface with metal ions, nanoparticles and hydrogels utilised for bioanalytical techniques.
Applications include detecting heavy metals instantly in water samples and targeted drug delivery.
His breakthrough in understanding the fundamental interactions of attaching DNA strands to the surface of gold nanoparticles was named one of the most influential in the history of the surface chemistry journal Langmuir. His discovery resolved many long-standing questions and paved the way for advances in biosensor technology.
Linda Nazar, Department of Chemistry
Dr. Linda Nazar first appeared on the Highly cited list in 2014 and has been named each and every year since 2016, often being listed in multiple categories (Chemistry and Materials Science). This year was no exception as she was recognized in both the Chemistry and Environment and Ecology categories.
Linda Nazar carries out research in inorganic materials chemistry, solid state chemistry and electrochemistry. One of the most interesting aspects of materials chemistry is the design of structures with specific physical properties.
Using guided principles, Nazar’s team synthesizes new materials, determines their structures and investigates their physical properties. She is, in particular, interested in ion and electron transport in materials as these properties are central to solid state electrochemistry and energy storage batteries.
She was named a University professor in 2016 and has held the Canada Research Chair in Solid State Energy Materials since 2004. She was recently named a Fellow of the Royal Society (UK) in recognition of her excellence in research. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and named an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Read more about the scientists from Waterloo who made the 2022 highly cited researchers list.
Congratulations, Professor Liu and Professor Nazar!