Emory faculty recognized among world's most influential researchers

Dec. 7, 2023

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Nine Emory faculty were recently recognized as part of an elite group of the world’s most influential scientists by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), a scientific analysis service. ISI, a division of Clarivate, uses the designation “Highly Cited Researchers” to describe scholars who produce high levels of research that also has a strong influence on their colleagues.

The nine Emory researchers are part of a group of Highly Cited Researchers from more than 1,300 institutions in 67 nations and regions. Selections were made by ISI’s bibliometrics experts, chosen through a process that includes the number of times their work is cited in the Science Citation Index and the Social Sciences Citation Index.

Bar Veinstein, president of academia & government at Clarivate says: “We celebrate the Highly Cited Researchers whose contributions transform our world by helping to make it healthier, more sustainable and more secure. Recognition of Highly Cited Researchers not only validates research excellence but also enhances reputation, fosters collaboration, and informs resource allocation, acting as a beacon for academic institutions and commercial organizations.”

The nine Emory researchers (in alphabetical order) are:

  • Rafi Ahmed, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and director of the Emory Vaccine Center, is a world-renowned immunologist whose work during the past decade has been highly influential in shaping our current understanding of how the germ-fighting white blood cells called T cells differentiate into the more specialized memory T cells that remain in the body after infection has been conquered.
  • Matthew C. Freeman, PhD, is the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Environmental Health in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health with joint appointments in the Departments of Global Health and Epidemiology. He studies environmental drivers of infectious disease in marginalized populations in low-income settings including access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
  • Terry A. Jacobson, MD, professor of medicine in the Emory School of Medicine, studies elevated lipid levels in the blood (hyperlipidemia), nutrition and drug management of high cholesterol, coronary heart disease risk reduction, and translating cardiovascular prevention into practice. His career is focused on improving patient outcomes through behavioral counseling and implementing risk reduction strategies for clinicians.
  • Yang Liu, PhD, is the Chair and Gangarosa Distinguished Professor in the Gangarosa Department of Environment Health at the Rollins School of Public Health. He uses satellite data and model simulations to investigate the adverse health effects of environmental exposure as well as the impact of climate change on air quality and human health. Liu has led many federally funded projects to apply satellite data to air pollution exposure and health effects modeling and study the population-wide health impacts of climate change related to extreme weather, wildfires, pollen, and ambient air pollution.
  • Andrew H. Miller, MD, is the William P. Timmie Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine, as well as head of the Emory Behavioral Immunology Program. Miller is an internationally recognized expert in interactions between the brain and immune system as they relate to behavior and health, including depression. His research focuses on the mechanisms by which the signaling proteins called cytokines cause depression in humans.
  • George Painter, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at the School of Medicine, CEO of Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), and director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development, has played a major role in the discovery, development, and implementation of modern antiviral therapy. He holds more than 150 patents, many of which have led to approved, commercially available drugs or combinations of drugs for the treatment of HIV, hepatitis B, smallpox, influenza, and coronavirus infections.
  • Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, is a professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology as well as executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute. An internationally renowned thoracic oncologist and physician scientist, Ramalingam has focused on the development of individualized therapies for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
  • Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, is a visiting professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the School of Medicine. He studies complex neuropsychiatric disorders by trying to learn what behaviors are affected, which brain regions are involved, which genes, molecules, and cell types in these regions might be involved, and how the environment affects the propensity to develop these disorders. His lab investigates the molecular, genetic, epigenetic, and neural circuit mechanisms underlying fear processes and anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through an integration of animal models and human genetic research.
  • Mehul S. Suthar, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, as well as at the Emory Vaccine Center, is currently applying an innovative systems biology approach to understand the complex and dynamic signaling networks that control innate immunity, the body’s multiple barriers designed to suppress or slow down viral infections. He uses a combination of high-throughput technology, computational analysis and pathway-specific modeling to reveal tissue and cell-specific gene regulatory signaling networks and antiviral effector genes that control virus infection and regulate innate antiviral immunity.

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