25/11/2020

Researchers at IMPA are among the most influential in Brazil.

IMPA researchers Alfredo Iusem , Luiz Velho , Mikhail V. Solodov , Benar Svaiter , and Ricardo Mañé (1948–1995) are among the 100,000 most influential scientists in the world and the 600 most influential in Brazil, according to a study led by Stanford University (USA) . The survey used the Scopus database, from the field of scientific publications, and considers the number of citations of researchers in scientific works throughout their careers.

“I feel flattered to be on any list alongside Ricardo Mañé, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, and the biologist Mayana Zatz. IMPA is well represented on the list, and this is yet another example of how the institute brings together a very good group of mathematicians,” pointed out Luiz Velho, lead researcher at Visgraf (IMPA's Computer Graphics Laboratory). Velho also emphasized that the list follows specific criteria and uses a particular database, but that the results could be different if the database were different.

Alfredo Iusem, a specialist in mathematical optimization, believes that the presence of several IMPA colleagues in the selection confirms "the prominent place that our institute occupies in the landscape of Brazilian science." The researcher stressed that the exclusive use of bibliographic criteria to measure the influence of scientists can lead to an inaccurate result, but he was still pleased with the news. "I understand that in current times, when a denialist and anti-scientific narrative hangs over our heads, it is important to highlight the role of Brazilian science in the country's development, and the influence of the work of Brazilian scientists on the national and global stage."

"I feel extremely honored to be on these lists that include Ricardo Mañé. I think it's important for IMPA that some of its researchers are present on them," commented Svaiter.

Authored by John PA Ionnidis of Stanford University (USA); Kevin W. Boyack of SciTech Strategies, Inc. (USA); and Jeroen Baas of Elsevier (Netherlands), the article was published in October. Using information from the database, the authors created two rankings: one measuring the researcher's career impact from 1996 to 2019, and another measuring the researcher's reach only in 2019.

Titled “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators ,” the study ranked scientists across 22 scientific fields and 176 subfields. There is also an expanded list that includes other scientists who did not make the top 100,000 but are in the top 2% worldwide in their respective fields.