El Paso Standard

Twenty University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) members have made the list of the world's top researchers. 

The UTEP academic members have been included in the most recent Stanford-Elsevier ranking of the world's most cited researchers and those in the top 2% of their specialization areas. 

The University of Texas at El Paso considers itself the nation's premier Hispanic-serving university. A total of 84% of students attending UTEP are Hispanic. 

James Payne, Ph.D. is the dean of the Woody L. Hunt College of Business. He expressed his appreciation for UTEP being recognized in such high regard.

“It is an honor to be recognized among the top 2% of cited researchers in the Stanford-Elsevier worldwide ranking,” Payne said. “Such a designation provides validation of the impact of one’s research efforts. Congratulations to the other UTEP faculty in the ranking for their contributions.”

The ranking process began years previously and has been updated since. It is based on combined data from numerous fields.

Based on standardized citation measures created by a group of Stanford University scientists led by John P.A. Ioannidis, M.D., D.Sc., the ranking system was first used to make the list in October 2020 and was published in the PLOS Biology Journal. Elsevier published the most recent version of the data set in November 2022. The study examined data collected from 1996 to 2021 and included scientists in 22 primary fields and 174 subfields, according to UTEP.

UTEP Vice President for Research Roberto Osegueda, Ph.D., praised the university and those who made the list for their accomplishment.

“We see this as further evidence of UTEP’s growing stature nationally and internationally as a research institution of the highest level,” Osegueda said. “My sincere congratulations to the UTEP researchers who made the list.”

UTEP is located at the westernmost edge of Texas, where three states and two counties meet along the Rio Grande. UTEP provides 169 bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree programs.