81 Pakistanis among world’s top 2% scientists

Eleven academic of QAU figure in list compiled by Stanford University researchers

ISLAMABAD:

Eighty one (81) Pakistani academics have figured in the list of the world’s top two per cent scientists in a global list issued by the United States’ Stanford University. The global list, compiled by Prof John Ioannidis and his team, carries names of 159,683 people from all scientific disciplines.

All these authors have been selected on the basis of an international evaluation of their research papers and classified based on career-long citation impact until the end of 2019 as well as for their citation impact in a single year (2019).

Eighty one (81) Pakistani scientists have figured in the list for their career-long citation impact while 243 Pakistani scientists have been included for citation impact in a single year. A report on this list has been recently published in PLOS Biology.

As many as 11 teachers of Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) have figured among the top two per cent researchers. Five scientists from the University of Haripur (UoH), including its vice chancellor, are also included in the list.

The QAU academics whose names have appeared in the list include Prof Bilal Haider Abbasi of Biotechnology, Zabta Khan Shinwari and Mushtaq Ahmad of Plant Sciences, Amir Ali Shah of Microbiology and Riffle Nasim Malik of Environment Sciences.

The other names include Rashid Khan of Biochemistry, Masood Khan of Mathematics, Afzal Shah and Aamer Saeed of Chemistry and Abdul Haq of Statistics.

The UoH academics who figure in the list include UoH Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Anwar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Dr Khalid Zaman, Dr Hashim, Dr Shah Fahad and Dr Mohammed Farooq.

UoH Vice Chancellor Prof Gilani is the only serving VC in Pakistan who has appeared in this list and who has been conferred three civil awards including Hilal-i-Imtiaz.

Three professors of the University of Punjab also figure in the list.

These are Prof Dr Muhammad Sharif of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood of Economics and Management Sciences and Prof Dr Muhammad Akram of Artificial Intelligence.

Talking to APP, QAU Academic Staff Association General Secretary Prof Dr Bilal Abbasi, whose name is also included in the list, said it is an honour for the entire country that a number of Pakistani scientists working in different universities have been named in top two percent scientists across the globe.

(With additional input from APP)