Twelve University of Waterloo researchers have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list from Clarivate. The list identifies individual researchers and scientists who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research.
Researchers named on the Highly Cited Researchers list are those whose publications rank in the top 1 per cent of citations from an international and wide-ranging network of citing authors.
These individuals represent a small fraction of the global researcher population and contribute disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge. Of the world's population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.
"Congratulations to the University of Waterloo faculty members who have been named Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate. This distinction recognizes the highest level of trusted experts in a particular field," says Charmaine Dean, vice-president, Research and International at the University of Waterloo. "This year's awardees span a variety of research areas, including batteries for electric vehicles, a digital survey of the galaxy and 6G wireless communication networks. We are immensely proud of the impactful, world-leading research conducted at Waterloo."
Meet the Waterloo researchers who are among the world's most influential voices in advancing societal, health and technological change.
Dr. Michael Fowler | Faculty of Engineering
Dr. Michael Fowler is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in zero-emission vehicles and hydrogen energy systems. His research focuses on models of electrochemical energy storage, distributed energy (e.g., wind and solar), and large-scale systems that uniquely consider the impact of providing energy to zero-emissions vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles. His work also focuses on enhancing energy systems by utilizing hydrogen and microgrid modelling, optimizing powertrain configurations and enhancing the reliability of battery packs.
Dr. Roydon Fraser | Faculty of Engineering
Dr. Roydon Fraser's research focuses on green energy conversion systems with a focus on the characterization of spark ignition engine combustion and the various powertrains required to use alternative fuels in automobiles. His mission is to help further the development of vehicles that rely less on dirtier types of energy sources. Fraser's interests dive into more sustainable solutions like hydrogen, natural gas, ethanol and hybrid technology to lessen the environmental burden that cars have.
Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick | Faculty of Health
Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick's research focuses on the intersections between nutrition, human and planetary health, equity and policy, using a systems thinking lens. Much of her work is aimed at improving methodologies for measuring dietary patterns to develop a stronger evidence base on how these patterns influence human and planetary health and inform efforts to promote healthy and sustainable eating practices. She also recently placed in the ScholarGPS top 0.05 per cent of all nutrition scholars worldwide over the past five years.
Juewen Liu | Faculty of Science
Dr. Juewen Liu is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in biosensors and bionanotechnology. His research applies the fundamental principles of chemistry, physics and biology to produce nanoscale materials, devices and systems to understand basic sciences, advance technology and impact medicine. His research is particularly interested in using DNA and lipids as functional polymers and building blocks to interface with metal nanoparticles, nanoclusters, carbon-based materials and hydrogels.
Linda Nazar | Faculty of Science
Dr. Linda Nazar is a world authority in electrochemical energy storage whose immense impact on the field has resulted in seminal contributions to materials chemistry and electrochemistry. She has advanced fundamental knowledge to solve important problems related to sustainable energy storage. Her team has also been developing and applying advanced techniques for characterizing battery materials at the atomic and molecular levels, which has deepened the fundamental understanding of how materials behave and degrade, leading to better design and longevity of energy storage. Nazar also holds a Canada Research Chair in solid state energy materials.
Dr. Xuemin Shen | Faculty of Engineering
Dr. Xuemin (Sherman) Shen is a distinguished and extraordinarily impactful researcher and a leader in the global telecommunication community. His academic and professional mission is to benefit society via the development of fundamental ideas and new techniques to increase data transmission speed, accuracy, and reliability, while ensuring information security in communication networks. He has made ground-breaking contributions that expand the frontiers of academic research and empower both mobile broadband communication services and mission critical applications via 4G/5G networking technology development.
Dr. Aiping Yu | Faculty of Engineering
Dr. Aiping Yu is an expert in electrochemical engineering and nanotechnology for advanced materials. Yu is engineering graphene for energy storage in Zinc-ion and Na-ion batteries and uses 2D materials to increase the energy and power density of the batteries. Yu is also a Canada Research Chair who works with carbon nanomaterials and is engaged in developing battery recycling processes. She is the director of the Applied Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory and works with layered metal oxides. She applies engineering control on these materials, including chemical functionalization, morphology control, and porosity control to increase the surface area of the materials.
Quanquan Pang and Dan Luo, two Waterloo alumni, Gaoran Li, a former postdoctoral researcher, and Satyam Panchal and Zhongwei Chen, two adjunct professors, also made the list.
The evaluation and selection process draws on data from the Web of Science citation index, together with analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the ISI at Clarivate .
