News Release

Jacobs School Faculty Among the World's Most Influential Scientists

Bernhard Palsson, the Galletti Professor of Bioengineering, uses experimental and computational models to study cellular life, using high-powered computing to build interactive databases of biological information. Photo courtesy of the Systems Biology Research Group.

San Diego, Calif., July 28, 2014 -- Several University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering professors have been named among the most influential scientists in the world by Thomson Reuters. Congratulations to Bernhard Palsson in bioengineering, Yuri Bazilevs in structural engineering and Joseph Wang in nanoengineering.

The list compiles the most highly cited researchers in the sciences and social sciences from 2002-2013. The Highly Cited Researchers report derives from InCites Essential Science Indicators, a subset of Web of Science, and features more than 3,000 authors in 21 fields of science and the social sciences.

“These researchers earned the distinction by writing the greatest numbers of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Papers—ranking among the top 1% most cited for their subject field and year of publication—between 2002 and 2012,” according to the report. “Thus, the listings of Highly Cited Researchers feature authors whose published work in their specialty areas has consistently been judged by peers to be of particular significance and utility.”

Bernhard Palsson, the Galletti Professor of Bioengineering at the Jacobs School, was recognized in the field of biology and biochemistry. Palsson's Systems Biology Research Group at the Jacobs School uses experimental and computational models to study cellular life. Systems biology leverages the power of high-powered computing to build vast interactive databases of biological information. Most recently, thegroup's analysis of metabolic pathways of 55 strains of E. Coli could prove useful in developing ways to control deadly E. coli infections and to learn more about how certain strains of the bacteria become virulent. Last year, an international consortium of scientists led by an alumnae of the Palsson group produced the most comprehensive virtual reconstruction of human metabolism to date. Dubbed Recon 2 and likened to a Google map of human metabolism, it could be used to identify causes of and new treatments for diseases like cancer, diabetes and even psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The consortium built on pioneering work by Palsson's team, which built the first virtual reconstruction of the network in 2007.
 

Yuri Bazilevs, Department of Structural Engineering,specializes in complex simulations depicting the interaction of several elements. His lab has produced simulations of everything from airflow for wind turbine blades to air flow and water interacting with the hulls of high-speed ships. Photo credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Yuri Bazilevs was recognized for his contributions to the field of computer science. Bazilevs, a professor of structural engineering, focuses on computational science and engineering to develop methods for large-scale, high-performance computing applications. For example, he is working with other researchers to create blood flow simulations that could lead to improvements in the design of a cardiac pump for children born with heart defects. They hope that the design changes will improve young patients' outcomes.

Joseph Wang, professor and chair, Department of NanoEngineering, wearing a simple latex glove printed with a "forensic finger" sensor that can detect gun powder and explosives in real time and at the crime scene. Photo credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Joseph Wang, professor and chair in the Department of NanoEngineering, was recognized for his work in both chemistry and engineering. Wang's work in nanobioelectronic sensors is enabling research in the field of wearable sensors for applications in medicine, military and security, and preventative health and fitness. His pioneering nanomotors research has led to advanced nanomachines for biomedical and environmental applications. Wang is the director of the new Center for Wearable Sensors at the Jacobs School, which is bringing together top UC San Diego researchers  working on sensors, low-power circuits, materials, electrochemistry, bioengineering, wireless network technologies, preventive medicine, and the life sciences.Wang was named one of the most influential analytical scientists in the world in 2013.

Media Contacts

Ioana Patringenaru
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-822-0899
ipatrin@ucsd.edu