Baylor Faculty Listed Among Top 2% of World’s Most-Cited Researchers

Stanford database features 44 current or retired Baylor researchers on prestigious list 

November 17, 2025
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**UPDATED on Dec. 10, 2025 to include Lorraine S. Evangelista, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, who joined the Louise Herrington School of Nursing faculty from UNLV in Fall 2025.

*UPDATED on Nov. 21, 2025 to include Stephen Zhang, Ph.D., The Terry L. Maness Chair of Entrepreneurship and Associate Professor, who joined the Baylor business faculty from the University of Adelaide in Fall 2025. 

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Baylor University is well-represented again on a prestigious list compiling the top 2% most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University, 43* current or retired Baylor faculty members appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification.

“To be among the top 2% of cited researchers in a discipline signifies that you have been involved in work that contributed foundational, if not transformational, knowledge to a given field,” said Kevin Chambliss, Ph.D., Baylor’s vice provost for research. “The more faculty we have on the list, the more ‘seats’ Baylor will occupy ‘at the tables’ where these topics are discussed. This is one of the most important ways that Baylor research can influence national and international conversations and have a positive impact on the world.”

The database, available through the Elsevier Data Repository, was compiled by Stanford professor John P.A. Ioannidis, M.D., D.Sc. A database listing means the faculty member met a variety of metrics that place him or her among the top 2% of researcher citations for single recent-year impact.

As faculty at a Christian Research 1 university, Baylor researchers pursue global impact guided by the University’s strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds. Publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals – and earning citations – represents a critical step for researchers to disseminate their findings to the broader scholarly community and contribute to public knowledge. Their research impact is extended when other scholars cite it – demonstrating that the work is regarded as valuable for informing their own studies or as a foundational resource for advancing subsequent research.

Most-cited Baylor researchers

In a Fall 2025 update to the list, the following Baylor faculty members (current and retired, as noted and in alphabetical order) were cited:

Emmanuel Agamloh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Paul G. Allison, Ph.D., Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Point-of-Need Innovations Center
Matt Bradshaw, Ph.D., Research Professor of Sociology, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
Bryan W. Brooks, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Public Health
Dawn S. Carlson, Ph.D., The H.R. Gibson Chair of Organizational Development-Management and director of the McBride Center of International Business
Erik W. Carter, Ph.D., The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing
Scott Cunningham, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Economics
Meredith E. David, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
Gail Dean Deyle, D.P.T., D.Sc., Graduate School Professor and founder and senior faculty member for the Army-Baylor University Doctoral Fellowship in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy
Gary R. Elkins, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Lorraine S. Evangelista, Ph.D., R.N., Associate Professor of Nursing
Thomas A. Fergus, Ph.D., Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology
Karen J. Foli, Ph.D., R.N., Louise Herrington Endowed Chair for Mental Health Nursing and Professor of Nursing
Paul Froese, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Director of Baylor Religion Surveys
Fritz Gesztesy, Ph.D., The Ralph and Jean Storm Professor of Mathematics
Tammy S. Gregersen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English
Craig Gundersen, Ph.D., The Snee Family Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics
J. Brian Jordon, Ph.D., The Kenneth and Celia Carlile Chair in Materials Science
Peter G. Klein, Ph.D., The W.W. Caruth Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Chair of Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation
Ivan V. Korendovych, Ph.D., The James R. Schofield Endowed Chair in Biochemistry and Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Dorothy Leidner, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Information Systems and Business Analytics
Jeff S. Levin, Ph.D., University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Professor of Medical Humanities and Director of the Program on Religion and Population Health
Christine A. Limbers, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Graduate Psy.D. Program Director
Grant B. Morgan, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and Outreach, School of Education & Professor of Quantitative Methods, Department of Educational Psychology
Mitchell J. Neubert, Ph.D., The Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business and Professor of Management
Holly K. Oxhandler, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Social Work
Jerry Park, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology
James A. Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing
Robert C. Roberts, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Resident Scholar, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
Christie M. Sayes, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Science
Markus H. Schafer, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Graduate Program Director
Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Rodney Stark, Ph.D., (deceased, 2022) Retired Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences
Jo-Ann C. Tsang, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
Garritt J. Tucker, Ph.D., The Eula Mae and John Baugh Chair of Physics and Chair of Materials Science and Engineering Program
Laura Upenieks, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology and Undergraduate Program Director
Annette von Jouanne, Ph.D., Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Kirk L. Wakefield, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Marketing
Alan X. Wang, Ph.D., The Mearse Chair in Biological and Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Anzhong Wang, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
Marley W. Watkins, Ph.D., Research Professor, Educational Psychology
Robert Woodberry, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
Bernd Zechmann, Ph.D., Research Professor and Director of the Center for Microscopy and Imaging
Stephen Zhang, Ph.D., The Terry L. Maness Chair of Entrepreneurship
and Associate Professor

NOTE: Citations are a measure to discern the impact of faculty research in a single recent year, although, as the database compilers note, failure to appear in the database “is simply because the composite indicator value was not high enough to appear on the list. It does not mean that the author does not do good work.” This version (8) is based on the Aug. 1, 2025, snapshot from Scopus, updated to the end of citation year 2024. Using this data, calculations were performed using all Scopus author profiles as of Aug. 1.

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Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.