Largest number of highly cited scientists in Singapore comes from NTU for 3 straight years

Thirty-eight scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have been recognised for their research influence – the highest number among institutions in Singapore. This is the third year that NTU has had the greatest number of highly cited researchers amongst institutions in Singapore.

The 38 scientists are among over 6,000 international researchers named in the Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list by Clarivate Analytics, a US-based data company. The annual list identifies and celebrates the world’s most influential scientists in terms of their impact on the research community, as measured by the rate at which their work has been cited by others over the last decade.

The 2020 list records NTU’s highest number of scientists in the ranking since it started seven years ago, after reaching a high of 33 scientists in 2019 and 2018.

NTU Senior Vice President (Research) Prof Lam Khin Yong said: “To address today’s wide-ranging and complex issues in areas such as environmental sustainability and future healthcare, we need to tear down old barriers between disciplines and encourage collaboration among faculty from various fields. NTU has been driving this interdisciplinary approach to research by tapping on its Schools, labs, research centres and institutes. This will catalyse the development of breakthrough ideas and technologies out of NTU, and into the world.”

This year’s Highly Cited Researchers list continues to recognise researchers whose citation records place them in the top 1 per cent based on the number of citations for their fields and year across 21 disciplines, such as science, engineering, medicine, and social sciences.

The NTU scientists on this list focus on research in areas covering: clean and renewable energy, artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, and environmental sciences – all areas that align with the University’s commitment to deliver technologies and solutions to shape a better future for all. Of the 38 NTU scientists in the list, 16 are specifically recognised for their interdisciplinary research.

They include materials scientist Prof Madhavi Srinavasan, whose research is on energy storage technologies that are crucial for a clean energy landscape, for example using nanoscale materials to enhance energy storage capabilities of batteries; and Prof Chen Peng, who addresses biomedical problems at the interface of biology, nanomaterials and engineering. Prof Liu Bin’s work tackles the problem of carbon dioxide emissions, such as through upcycling PVC – a non-recyclable material – for carbon capture.

Also on the list are NTU academic leaders Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar, Associate Vice President (Strategy and Partnerships) and Executive Director of the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERIAN); Prof Staffan Kjelleberg, Director of the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and Prof Lee Pooi See, Dean of NTU’s Graduate College.

Prof Lee, whose research is in the field of nanomaterials for energy and electronics applications, said: “In my research group, we take a multidisciplinary approach that involves materials science and engineering, physics, chemistry and electrical engineering. This has allowed us to develop multidimensional insights, and spur innovative solutions. The Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme pioneered at NTU Graduate College takes the same approach, providing our graduate students with a broad yet tightly interrelated learning experience through research that spans from humanities to science and technology.”

Stalwarts on the list since 2014 include Prof David Lou in chemistry and materials science, Prof Huang Guang-Bin in computing, Prof Xie Lihua for electrical and electronic engineering, and Prof David Wardle in environmental science.

The full Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list and executive summary can be found online at: https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2020/?campaignname=Highly_Cited_Researchers_Parent_SAR_Global_2020&campaignid=7014N000001r&utm_campaign=Highly_Cited_Researchers_Parent_SAR_Global_2020&utm_source=earned_coverage&utm_medium=press

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Foo Jie Ying

Manager, Corporate Communications Office

Nanyang Technological University

Email: [email protected]

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

Ranked amongst the world’s top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world’s top young university for the past seven years. The University’s main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and it has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) building projects, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Singapore’s healthcare district.

Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.

For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg.