Two NTU professors among the “hottest” in the world

by Ry-Anne Lim

Prof Zhang Hua (left) is ranked 8th and Prof David Lou (right) is ranked 12th in a global list of the world’s “hottest researchers” by Thomson Reuters. PHOTOS: NICHOLAS YEO

“Hot” is probably the last thing you would call your professors.

But two NTU professors have been dubbed exactly that — by Thomson Reuters’ panel of data analytics experts.

Out of the 19 scientists who made it into the mass media and information firm’s World’s Hottest Researchers 2015 ranking, Professor David Lou and Professor Zhang Hua were ranked eighth and 12th respectively.

The ranking, which is in its second year, recognises scientists who have made significant global impact within their respective fields.

Scientists on the ranking list have published at least 14 papers last year that were highly cited by their peers.

The ranking is part of a Thomson Reuters report which looks at the most widely cited researchers in the world.

Prof Lou, 37, a researcher with the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, made the list with 19 such papers.

With many breakthroughs in researching batteries for industrial and commercial use, his papers have been cited over 23,500 times according to the Web of Science, with 7500 citations in 2015 alone.

Prof Lou said he was happy to hear the news and added that he hoped to contribute more to his research field.

“Research is my greatest passion,” he said.

Making his second appearance in the list with 16 ‘hot papers’ was Prof Zhang, 45, from the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He was ranked 13th last year.

His expertise is in developing nanomaterials for a variety of purposes, including clean energy.

Prof Zhang said he was motivated to conduct research to better people’s lives.

“We managed to achieve this with help from the board mem- bers and the support of NTU. It’s not based on the individual – it’s a team effort,” he added.

Visiting Professor Michael Gratzel from Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne also made the list at seventh place.

The second part of the citation report identifies close to 3,000 highly cited researchers whose papers ranked among the top 1 per cent of papers most cited by their peers. Nine of NTU’s researchers made the cut.

NTU Provost Professor Freddy Boey said the school’s performance in Thomson Reuters’ report shows that NTU is home to world-class scientists doing cutting-edge research.

“To solve the problems of the 21st century, we need scientists who are able to think out of the box, combine solutions from different disciplines, and are good in working and leading a diverse group of researchers,” Prof Boey added.

“These are the hallmarks of the NTU researchers who have been cited as the world’s most influential scientists.”

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Nanyang Chronicle on February 10, 2016, with the headline ‘Two NTU professors among the “hottest” in the world’. Print Edition