Oakland University faculty recognized among ‘world’s best scientists’ in 2026 rankings

Oakland University faculty are earning increasing international recognition for the impact of their research, with several current faculty members appearing in the 2026 "World's Best Scientists" rankings released by Research.com.

The annual rankings evaluate researchers across STEM-focused disciplines using metrics such as D-index (discipline-specific h-index), publication output and citation impact to measure scholarly influence and research productivity.

Among currently active Oakland University faculty recognized in the rankings are:

• Ishwar K. Sethi, School of Engineering and Computer Science

• Todd K. Shackelford, Department of Psychology

• Meir Shillor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

• Andrei Slavin, Department of Physics

• Gopalan Srinivasan, Department of Physics

• Scott D. Tiegs, Department of Biological Sciences

• Jennifer Vonk, Department of Psychology

• Lisa L. M. Welling, Department of Psychology

• Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Department of Psychology

Collectively, the rankings reflect Oakland University's growing research presence and continued investment in faculty scholarship across the sciences, engineering, mathematics and psychology.

The rankings also provide a useful comparison among Michigan's regional public universities. Oakland University's representation in the rankings is comparable to - and in some cases exceeds - that of peer institutions including Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University, underscoring OU's continued momentum as a research-focused institution.

University leaders also note that additional Oakland University researchers may appear in future rankings as faculty scholarship continues to expand and new bibliometric data becomes available. Several emerging and established researchers across campus are generating increasing national and international visibility for their work, including:

• Kodi Beyeh, Department of Chemistry

• Jun Chen, School of Engineering and Computer Science

• Michael Kranak, School of Education and Human Services

• Artem Litvinenko, Department of Physics

• Zhe Wang, Department of Chemistry

• Ankun Yang, School of Engineering and Computer Science

According to Dr. David Stone, vice president for research, "as long has been true of our faculty in the arts and humanities, OU has always had faculty in these disciplines who are making impactful contributions to their particular areas, and as is clear from this list, our more recent hires in the STEM disciplines are quickly taking us to another level."

About the Rankings

Research.com's "World's Best Scientists " rankings are based on bibliometric data from leading academic databases and provide a comprehensive assessment of research productivity and influence across disciplines.