UO scientists on prestigious World’s Top 2% Scientists 2024 list

Six academics from the University of Opole have been included in the list of the World’s Top 2% Scientists 2024, which was prepared by the Stanford University and the scientific publishing house Elsevier. The list includes the top 2% of the most highly cited and influential scientists in the world.

This list is made up of two separate rankings – one that summarises the entire scientific career and one that covers publications from the past year only. The former includes prof. dr hab. n. med. Mieczysław Pokorski and prof. dr hab. Henryk Kozłowski of the Institute of Health Sciences and prof. dr hab. inż. Piotr Wieczorek of the Institute of Chemistry.

Professor Pokorski’s speciality is neuroscience. He is involved in experimental and clinical research at the molecular and functional level in pathophysiology, neuropsychology, neurophysiology and brain functioning. Besides the University of Opole, he also collaborates with the Chieti-Pescara University (Italy) and the Helios Clinic in Wuppertal (Germany), as well as with numerous research centres in Japan.

In turn, Professor Kozłowski is a chemist who conducts research at the intersection of chemistry, biology and medicine. His areas of interest include the structure and function of biomolecules, the influence of metal ions on the chemistry and biochemistry of drugs, mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, processes controlling metal homeostasis in Helicobacter pylori bacteria and the coordination properties of unstructured peptide fragments derived from bacterial proteins. In doing so, he represents the bioinorganic chemistry.

Professor Wieczorek specialises in organic and analytical chemistry. His interests include: techniques for the separation of organic compounds, studies of the mechanisms of transport across liquid membranes, separation of stereoisomers of organic compounds and determination of the optical purity of organic compounds, methods for the isolation and analysis of organic compounds from medical, environmental and food samples, as well as the isolation and identification and study of the properties and activity of substances of natural origin.

“This achievement, which is important for me and our university, proves that world-class science can also be ‘cultivated’ in a small centre,” emphasises Professor Wieczorek, “I have conducted most of my research at the UO, but in cooperation with many research centres in the country and beyond. I have to say, however, that this was also influenced by my doctoral studies at the Wrocław University of Technology and my scientific traineeships in several research centres abroad. This has greatly influenced my scientific development.

Professor Piotr Wieczorek was also included in the list of the most cited authors of 2023. The list also included: Rev. dr hab. Dariusz Krok, prof. UO (Institute of Psychology), prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Rogowska (Director of the Institute of Psychology) and dr hab. n. med. Jacek Jóźwiak, prof. UO (Dean of the Faculty of Medicine).

“As in the previous year, the list included two researchers from the Institute of Psychology. It shows the enormous potential of our scientific unit,” says Prof. Aleksandra Rogowska. “The high number of citations is a result of the intensified publication activity. It is not enough to publish one or even several papers per year. To achieve such a success, you need to publish more than a dozen papers a year.

The World’s Top 2% Scientists 2024 ranking includes almost 200,000 scientists from around the world. It is divided into 22 scientific fields and 174 disciplines according to the standard Science-Metrix classification. The rankings are compiled on the basis of a bibliometric index, i.e., among other criteria, such as the Hirsch index, the number of citations including self-citations, the Impact Factor and the position and role of a given researcher in the list of authors of a given publication.

“The ranking includes the names of the most influential scientists in the world, i.e. those who have been cited the most throughout their scientific career and within the last year, falling within the top two percentiles of all cited publications,” explains Professor Aleksandra Rogowska. “Being in this group shows the high interest in the scientific work of the chosen authors, which has a direct and significant impact on science on a worldwide scale. It also strengthens the prestige of the University of Opole as a university conducting important scientific research that is recognised internationally.