Today the UAEU celebrated its leading researchers featured among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists List. The list identifies the top scholars in their own areas of specialty and whose publications are most frequently cited by other authors around the globe.
Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to H.H. the President of the UAE and Chancellor of the UAEU commended the achievements of the scientists. He said, “To be included in the Stanford List indicates that, through their published work, the researchers have accelerated progress in their respective fields. Continuously, throughout their careers and today, they have advanced their respective scientific fields and assisted the productivity of other researchers. That we have so many of our scientists included in the Stanford List signifies the value of the University to world scholarship, and the excellence of our research environment and scholars. It demonstrates that the University is making great advances in its mission to progress the Fourth Industrial Revolution by producing new knowledge and practical applications relevant to the needs of society, industry, and the economy”.
Stanford University’s analysis was conducted using Elsevier’s Scopus abstract and citation database. Scopus is used by the academic community, by governments and funding agencies, and by industry research and development organisations to find relevant and authoritative peer-reviewed research. It helps the identification of experts and provides reliable data, metrics, and analysis of scholarly research.
UAEU’s Associate Provost for Research, Professor Ahmed Murad said, “The UAEU is dedicated to building a knowledge-based economy through its academic research. Our strategy promotes research cooperation with international academic institutions and prestigious research centres around the globe. This year our results demonstrate a quantum leap in research output and publication in research areas of national and international importance.”
The quality of the scholarly outcomes of UAEU researchers is impressive. Fourteen researchers from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, including one medical laboratory specialist, were on the list. The remaining 31 researchers, specialising in civil engineering, food science, microbiology, renewable energy, material science, economics and business administration, astronomy and space sciences, and applied mathematics, received very high citations during 2020.
In congratulating the assembled UAEU scientists, the Chancellor Zaki Nusseibeh said, “Your inclusion in Stanford’s List of the World’s top two per cent brings great pride to the university. It is testament to Sheikh Zayed’s conviction in the importance of higher education and international cooperation to national development, and his decision to establish the UAEU very early in the history of the UAE. Sheikh Zayed said, ‘Science is a resource that we will use to build a future’”.
The Chancellor connected the researchers’ achievements to the nation’s preparation for the Centennial 2071. He said, “The vision and principles set by our wise leadership to prepare us for the next 50 years of our nation’s future honours Sheikh Zayed’s legacy. These principles teach us that the development of human capital, and the expansion of the frontiers of our digital, technical, and scientific excellency is still of vital importance to strengthening our Union and fostering a vibrant, dynamic economy. The principles speak to the importance of developing intellect and knowledge, innovation, and research, and securing international collaboration. The achievements of our UAEU scientists embody and reinforce such principles”.
In conclusion, the Chancellor explained the importance of the UAEU scientists’ achievements for future generations. He said, “Today, education must prepare our children to address a future in which change, and existential challenge are global in scale. This implies that schools, universities, vocational institutes, research centres, and lifelong learning are increasingly essential. Our young people must never cease to learn, to invent, or to innovate. Furthermore, our UAEU scientists’ research will enable these future generations to seek global horizons through a responsible international role. This is how we will achieve sustainable ecological, economic, and social prosperity, and the wellbeing and peaceful coexistence of all nations.”
