Two UCSB Engineering Professors Named Among the World’s Most Influential Researchers
The annual list recognizes scientists who rank in the top one percent of citations in their fields
UC Santa Barbara chemical engineering professor Phillip Christopher and materials professor Stephen Wilson have been recognized among the world’s most influential scientists, according to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers List by Clarivate Analytics. Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000, or in the top one percent, according to Clarivate.
Both Christopher and Wilson, who appear on the list for the first time, were recognized in the cross-field category, which honors researchers whose publications span multiple disciplines, reflecting the importance of interdisciplinary research. The Clarivate methodology is based on analysis of highly cited papers — those ranking in the top one percent of citations — published between 2014 and 2024 in peer-reviewed journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, which includes more than 20,000 high-quality scholarly journals worldwide. The annual list commends researchers whose work has made broad and lasting impacts over the past eleven years.
“We are tremendously proud of Professors Phillip Christopher and Stephen Wilson for being recognized among the world’s most influential researchers,” said Umesh Mishra, dean of The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering. “This honor reflects the extraordinary depth and impact of their scholarship — from pioneering advances in catalysis and quantum materials, to discoveries that are shaping the technologies and innovations of tomorrow. Their recognition on the Highly Cited Researchers list underscores the global reach of UCSB’s research excellence and our continued leadership across disciplines.”
Christopher, vice-chair of the Chemical Engineering Department and the Mellichamp Chair of Sustainable Manufacturing, is internationally recognized for his pioneering research in catalysis and surface chemistry. His work focuses on understanding and designing catalytic materials at the atomic level to improve the efficiency and sustainability of chemical and energy conversion processes — from cleaner fuels to carbon utilization. By combining advanced spectroscopy, reaction kinetics, and computational modeling, his group develops catalysts that can drive industrial transformations with lower environmental impact. Since 2014, Christopher’s publications have been cited nearly 19,000 times, according to Web of Science Core Collection metrics.
“Being included on this list is a gratifying acknowledgement that the work done by students and postdocs in my group, along with collaborators, is followed by a broad community of researchers and hopefully is motivation for innovative science and engineering discoveries.,” said Christopher, whose previous honors include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the Ipatieff Prize from the American Chemical Society, and the Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis from the North American Catalysis Society.
Wilson, a professor of materials and co-director of UCSB’s Quantum Foundry as well as the newly established Eddleman Quantum Institute, explores the synthesis, design, and quantum properties of complex correlated materials. His research seeks to uncover and control new electronic and magnetic phenomena in transition-metal oxides and related compounds, which could enable next-generation technologies in computing, sensing, and energy applications. His group’s precise crystal growth and characterization techniques have yielded materials that reveal new states of matter and deepen understanding of quantum materials. Since 2014, Wilson’s papers have been cited nearly 11,000 times.
"It's an incredible honor to be named on the Highly Cited Researcher List,” said Wilson, who is an elected fellow of the Neutron Scattering Society of America and the American Physical Society. “Much of our work is collaborative, and I have the great fortune to work with fantastic students, postdocs, and collaborators across the world in many of our projects. Some of the most important collaborations are rooted right here with fantastic colleagues at UCSB, and it is an honor to work with them every day."
Also named to the 2025 list was Brenden Ortiz, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Wilson group (2019-2022), who is now a Wigner Distinguished Staff Fellow at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His papers have been cited more than 8,300 times since 2014, according to Web of Science Core Collections metrics.
“Working with Stephen Wilson was a great experience, and he was an excellent mentor. Together, we were able to coordinate and lead a new wave of researchers interested in kagome metals and emergent physics in these systems,” said Ortiz. “I've wanted to be a scientist since day one, so to be acknowledged implicitly by the community via the Highly Cited Researcher List, particularly as an early-career researcher is an amazing opportunity - one which I am eternally grateful for.”
Seven additional UCSB faculty were recognized: Hailey Froehlich (cross-field), Scott Jasechko (cross-field), Richard E. Mayer (cross-field), David A. Siegel (cross-field), Benjamin S. Halpern (environmental and ecology), 2025 Nobel Laureate John Martinis (physics), and Andrea F. Young (physics).
“The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at UC Santa Barbara who demonstrate significant and broad influence in their fields,” said David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. “They exemplify excellence in their research as well as integrity in their publication and citation practices. These researchers continue to shape the future of science, technology and academia globally and deliver innovation that drives societal progress.”
The 2025 list recognizes 6,868 individuals from more than 1,300 institutions in 61 countries and regions. More than half of the individuals were recognized for cross-field impact. With 2,669 scientists or 37 percent of the total, the United States landed the most researchers on the 2025 list.
