Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Researchers Recognized As Top-Cited Scientists
27 current and former Ag Experiment Station researchers included as top-cited scientists
By Maddie Johnson – Feb. 21, 2025
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Seventeen Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers are among those ranked as the world’s most-cited scientists, an indication of their impact across multiple fields of inquiry.
Each year, a Stanford University professor uses data from Scopus, a citation database with content from more than 7,000 publishers and 91 million records, to assemble a database of the world’s most-cited researchers.
The rankings are based on a composite score that includes metrics such as citation counts and what’s known as “h-index,” which is an indicator of the impact of an author’s publications. For example, an h-index of 20 shows that a researcher published at least 20 papers that have each been cited at least 20 times. Data is made available by Elsevier, the publishing company that owns Scopus.
“We are proud to see so many of our scientists on this list. Faculty with experiment station appointments have an average h-index of 15.9 and were cited more than 25,000 times last year,” said Jean-François Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “This is a true testament to the impact they are having on agriculture, food and life sciences in Arkansas and beyond.”
The experiment station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
The rankings include a list of top-cited researchers based on a single year of data — 2023, which was the most recent year of complete data at the time of the rankings — and a list of researchers ranked based on career citations going back to 1996. Faculty are included if their composite scores are in the top 100,000 scientists or fall within the top 2 percent in their field of expertise.
“Research citations are a way to validate quality science, as well as the regional and national impact and reputation of our researchers,” said Deacue Fields, head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “This is a testament to both relevance and return on investment for research conducted by UADA scientists.
“Congratulations to everyone who made such a significant contribution to science, and I look forward to seeing this list grow,” he said.
The lists are in their sixth year of publication and are compiled by John P.A. Ioannidis, a Stanford University professor of medicine.
Single-year top-cited experiment station faculty
- Griffiths Atungulu, associate professor and director of the Rice Processing Program, food science.
- Walter Bottje, professor, poultry science.
- Nilda R. Burgos, professor, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Sami Dridi, professor, poultry science.
- Kristen Gibson, professor and director of the Center for Food Safety, food science.
- Michael T. Kidd, professor, poultry science.
- Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Casey M. Owens, Novus International Professor, poultry science.
- Andy Pereira, professor, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Han-Seok Seo, professor and director of the Sensory Science Center, food science.
- Ya Jane Wang, professor, food science.
Career-long top-cited experiment station faculty
*Asterisks indicate faculty members also appearing in the single-year list above.
- Walter Bottje,* professor, poultry science.
- Kristofor R. Brye, University Professor of applied soil physics and pedology, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Nilda R. Burgos,* professor, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Gisela F. Erf, Tyson Endowed Professor of Avian Immunology, poultry science.
- Fiona L. Goggin, professor, entomology and plant pathology.
- Brian E. Haggard, professor and director of the Arkansas Water Resources Center, biological and agricultural engineering.
- Billy M. Hargis, Distinguished Professor and director of the John Kirkpatrick Skeels Poultry Health Laboratory, poultry science.
- Michael T. Kidd,* professor, poultry science.
- Wayne J. Kuenzel, professor, poultry science.
- Jason Norsworthy,* Distinguished Professor, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Casey M. Owens,* Novus International Professor, poultry science.
- Andy Pereira,* professor, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Han-Seok Seo,* professor and director of the Sensory Science Center, food science.
- Ya Jane Wang,* professor, food science.
Retired experiment station faculty
In addition to active experiment station faculty, the rankings lists also include several retired faculty members. Retired faculty that appeared on either or both lists include:
- Nick Anthony, poultry science.
- John R. Clark, horticulture.
- Navam S. Hettiarachchy, food science.
- Luke Howard, food science.
- Yanbin Li, biological and agricultural engineering.
- Derrick M. Oosterhuis, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Larry C. Purcell, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Andrew N. Sharpley, crop, soil, and environmental sciences.
- Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, poultry science.
- Robert Wideman, poultry science.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
More Recent News
