Two VCU researchers among most cited in the world

By Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education

RICHMOND, Va. – Two Virginia Commonwealth University scientists are among the most quoted scholars in the world, according to a new survey.

VCU professors Hadis Morkoç, Ph.D., and Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., are two of only three Virginia researchers included in the list of most frequently cited scholars worldwide.

The list was compiled by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), which studied millions of scholarly documents published between 1981 and 1999 to see who were the most frequently cited sources in various scientific disciplines.

The selection of Morkoç and Kendler means that they were among the top one-half of one percent of the experts most frequently credited in footnotes and other acknowledgements during the two decades of the study.

ISI, which has indexed and published journal articles and their cited references since 1962, said inclusion in the new list of influential scholars is "truly an extraordinary achievement."

Morkoç, a professor of electrical engineering, was recognized for his work in both electrical engineering and physics. He is one of only nine researchers cited in more than one category. Kendler, a professor of psychiatry and human genetics and co-director of VCU’s Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, is frequently cited in neuroscience. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine.

"These rankings are very significant. I am proud that two of VCU’s star faculty have been recognized for their monumental achievements. All of this reflects on the quality of research at VCU, pointing to the fact that we have some of the best researchers in the world," said VCU President Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D.

Morkoç, who specializes in microelectronic materials and devices, was mentioned in more than 15,000 scholarly papers, many of them relating to his invention and development of transistors, called InGaAs/AlGaAs Modulation Doped Field Effect Transistors, that are used in telecommunication systems, including satellites and the Internet.

Kendler’s work was referenced more than 9,000 times. Many of his citations come from his studies that integrate the methods of psychiatric epidemiology, psychiatric genetics and molecular genetics that determine the role of genetic and environmental risk factors in the development and expression of mental illness and drug abuse.

VCU is among the top research universities in the country with more than $137 million in research funding and is classified as a Doctoral/Research University-Extensive, the top ranking of research universities. More than 24,000 students are enrolled in 153 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs offered through the University’s 10 schools and one college.

Results of the new survey can be seen on the worldwide web at ISIHighlyCited.com.