The University of Minho has 71 scientists in the group of the 2% most cited in the world over the last year, 40 of whom belong to the School of Engineering, according to a study by Stanford University (USA) and the Elsevier publishing group.
The list, called “World’s Top 2% Scientists 2026“, includes almost 250 thousand researchers, 1060 of them linked to institutions in Portugal. UMinho appears with 17 units represented (8 from EEUM) and its first nominees on the global list are Natália Cruz-Martins (3221st place), Paulo Lourenço (5738th), Rui L. Reis (7466th), Fernando Pacheco-Torgal (9545th) and Assunção Flores (12025th)
The document presents the best researchers on the planet across 20 areas and 174 disciplines, considering their index, the volume of publications and the citations of their work, according to data from the Scopus database for the year 2025, obtained on August 1, 2026. This annual list emerged in 2019, with the aim of creating a public repository on the impact and influence of researchers on the progress of scientific knowledge and to combat self-citation abuses.
– CEB – Centre of Biological Engineering (19 scientists): António Vicente, Artur Cavaco-Paulo, Carla Manuela Silva, Diana Priscila Pires, Eduardo Gudiña, Hugo Oliveira, Joana Azeredo, José António Teixeira, Lígia Rodrigues, Lúcia Chaves Simões, Luciana Pereira, Lucília Domingues, Luís Melo, Madalena Alves, Miguel Gama, Nuno Cerca, Ricardo N. Pereira, Russell Paterson and Sónia Silva.
– Physics Center (10) – Carlos Miguel Costa, Filipe Vaz, Frank Nelson Crespilho, João C. Barbosa, José Pedro Silva, José González-Méijome, Nuno Peres, Pedro Libânio Martins, Senentxu Lanceros-Mendez and Vasco Teixeira.
– Group 3B’s (8) – Banani Kundu, Miguel Oliveira, Nuno Neves, Rui L. Reis, Sandra Pina, Subhas Kundu, Tiago Silva and Vítor Correlo.
– Algoritmi Center (6) – Anabela Alves, João Luís Afonso, João Varajão, Paulo Cortez, Sandro Pinto and Vitor Monteiro.
– CMEMS – Center for Electromechanical Microsystems (5): Filipe Marques, Filipe Samuel Silva, Flávio Bartolomeu, Hélder Puga and Paulo Flores.
– ICVS – Institute for Research in Life and Health Sciences (4): Agostinho Carvalho, António Salgado, Natália Cruz-Martins and Rui M. Reis.
– 2C2T – Centre for Textile Science and Technology (3): Andrea Zille, Helena Prado Felgueiras and Raúl Fangueiro.
– CQ – Centre for Chemistry (3): Daniela Correia, Renato Gonçalves and Rita Figueira.
– ISISE – Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Engineering Structures (3): Joaquim Barros, Shaghayegh Karimzadeh and Paulo Lourenço.
– CIEC – Research Centre in Child Studies (2): Assunção Flores and Rute Santos.
– CTAC – Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction (2): Fernando Pacheco-Torgal and Paulo Ribeiro.
– CBMA – Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (1): Ronaldo Sousa.
– iBMS – Centre for Research in Management, Markets and Society (1): Beatriz Casais.
– ICS – Institute of Social Sciences (1): Anabela Carvalho.
– ICT – Institute of Earth Sciences (1): José Brilha.
– IPC – Institute of Polymers and Composites (1): Loïc Hilliou.
– MEtRICs – Centre for Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability (1): Rui A. Lima.
The study by Stanford University and Elsevier presents a second list, of “career”, in which Marian Brownell Anderson (School of Medicine), José Covas, Júlio Viana (both from the Institute of Polymers and Composites), Manuel Filipe Costa, Yuliy Bludov (both from the Physics Centre) and Wolfram Erlhagen (Mathematics Centre) also appear from UMinho.
The School of Engineering congratulates all researchers on this prestigious list.
