UMD faculty recognized among the world’s leading scientists and scholars

UMass Dartmouth faculty have been named to the 2026 Top 2% Scientists and Highly Ranked Scholars lists, including several ranked in the top ten of their subspecialties

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth faculty members have earned international recognition for the impact of their research, with several named to the 2026 Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list and others recognized as ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholars. 

The Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list identifies researchers whose published work demonstrates significant impact within their scientific fields as measured by citation data. ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholars rank among the top 0.05% in their respective fields, disciplines, or specialties based on the productivity, impact, and quality of their scholarly contributions.  

These distinctions highlight the global reach of UMass Dartmouth research across disciplines, from reliability engineering and computational mathematics to fisheries and ocean science, and the faculty whose work is advancing knowledge and addressing important challenges.  

Globally recognized faculty 

2026 Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists: 

• Mark Altabet, School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Steven Cadrin, School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Changsheng Chen, School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Sigal Gottlieb, College of Arts and Sciences 
• Pingguo He, School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Jefferson Turner, College of Arts and Sciences and School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Cheng Wang, College of Arts and Sciences 
• Liudong Xing, College of Engineering 

Among the faculty named to the Top 2% Scientists, two ranked in the top 100 scholars in their subfields. Steven Cadrin was ranked No. 79 out of more than 47,000 fisheries researchers, and Liudong Xing was ranked No. 37 out of more than 32,000 strategic defense and security researchers.  

2026 ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholars: 

• Steven Cadrin, School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Scott Field, College of Arts and Sciences 
• Mohammad Karim, College of Engineering 
• Jefferson Turner, College of Arts and Sciences and School for Marine Science and Technology 
• Liudong Xing, College of Engineering  

UMD faculty earned notable placements in multiple subspecialties. Jefferson Turner ranked No. 1 worldwide in zooplankton research. Liudong Xing earned top global rankings across six specialties, placing No. 3 in common cause, No. 4 in computer networking reliability, No. 6 in semiconductor reliability, No. 10 in systems engineering, No. 14 in reliability engineering, and No. 19 in survival analysis. Scott Field ranked No. 4 worldwide in surrogate modeling, Mohammad Karim ranked No. 27 in optical engineering, and Steven Cadrin ranked No. 65 in stock assessment. 

These rankings underscore the depth and impact of research at UMass Dartmouth, where students learn from faculty whose work is recognized among the best in their fields. From the classroom to hands-on research opportunities, students benefit from the expertise of scholars who are advancing knowledge, tackling complex challenges, and making meaningful contributions to their disciplines.