Thomson Reuters' list of Highly Cited Researchers for 2016 represents some of world’s most influential scientific minds. This year, the UW is ranked #6 in the U.S. for the most highly cited researchers, having three or more "highly cited" researchers in materials science.

As observed from these UW faculty members' multiple affiliations, there's a growing trend for top researchers to conduct research at multiple institutions. The traditional centers of excellence in materials science are well represented.

Guozhong Cao

Cao is the Boeing-Steiner Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, a Professor of Chemical Engineering, and an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Cao has 426 publications listed in the Thomson Reuters ResearcherID database and directs the Guozhong Cao Research Group. The group's research is focused mainly on processing and characterization of nanostructured materials, and their energy related application like dye sensitized solar cell, organic-inorganic hybrid solar cell, lithium battery, supercapacitor and hydrogen storage. Processing techniques include sol-gel processing, hydrothermal growth, electrochemical and electrophoretic deposition, and self-assembly. The research emphasis is to achieve novel structure and properties of energy related nanostructured materials through processing and composition designing.

Alex Jen

Alex Jen is the former chair of UW Materials Science & Engineering. Jen directs the Institute of Advanced Materials for Energy (i-AME) within the Jen Research Group. The group utilizes molecular, polymeric, and biomacromolecular self-assembly to create ordered arrangement of organic and inorganic functional materials for photonics, opto-electronics, nanomedicine, and nanotechnology. We employ the "molecular engineering" approach to tailor size, shape, sequence, and functionality of organic/hybrid functional materials and explore their applications.

Miqin Zhang

Categorized by Thomson Reuters under Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhang is the Kyocera Professor of Materials Science & Engineering and is also a professor of Neurological Surgery and adjunct professor in three other UW departments: Bioengineering, Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, and Radiology. Her research efforts are geared toward developing materials and devices for biological and medical applications through three labs. The Nanoparticle Lab focuses its research on cancer diagnosis and treatment through imaging enhancement and targeted and controlled therapeutic payload delivery using nanoconjugates or multifunctional nanovectors. The Tissue Engineering Lab concentrates on development of biocompatible porous and nanofibrous matrices serving as biodegradable scaffolds and/or drug delivery depots for tissue repair and regeneration. And the Biosensor Lab targets the detection and identification of chemical and biological agents and the development of drug screening techniques using protein and cell based sensors.

Samson Jenekhe

Jenekhe is the Boeing-Martin Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Chemistry at the UW. His research work includes organic electronics and optoelectronics (thin film transistors, solar cells, and LEDs), self-assembly and nanotechnology (block copolymers, nanowires, and multicomponent self-assembly), and polymer science (synthesis, processing, properties, and photonic applications).

Also in the top 6 on the Thomson Reuters list: Stanford, Northwestern, UCLA, MIT and UCSB.