Two UIC researchers land on Highly Cited Researchers 2021 list

Two UIC faculty members have been named to the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list from Clarivate Analytics.

Psychiatrist Dr. John M. Davis and urban studies scholar Nik Theodore are among 2,622 U.S.-based researchers and 6,600 researchers from around the world who demonstrated significant influence in the sciences and social sciences through the publication of multiple highly cited papers from Jan. 2010 to Dec. 2020.

The Highly Cited Researchers’ names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index.

Davis, professor of psychiatry and research professor of medicine in the UIC College of Medicine, is a pioneer in the development of meta-analysis and the comprehensive reviews of empirical studies, helpful in applying science to patients’ care. His research contributions have focused on the application of basic science to clinical psychiatry. Some of his research involves studies of the mechanism of action of antidepressants suggesting that abnormalities in brain chemicals may be involved in depression, including early studies of chemical levels in the postmortem brains of depressed patients. He was one of the first to study the clinical pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs.

He also has researched mothers’ prenatal nutrition and its role in a child’s intelligence, which resulted in food policy changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Davis previously earned placement on the list in 2020 and 2015.

Theodore, UIC professor and head of urban planning and policy, director of the Center for Urban Economic Development and fellow at the Great Cities Institute, is one of 263 researchers worldwide in the social science category to earn the distinction.

He conducts work focused on economic restructuring, labor standards and worker organizing, and he has been published widely in geography, public policy and urban studies journals.

His engaged research on day labor, domestic work and labor standards enforcement has been featured by major news organizations, such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio.

In 2015, Theodore’s superior research, teaching and record of outstanding achievement were recognized by UIC when he was selected for the University Scholars Program and the Distinguished Researcher Award. He was previously named to the 2014 Highly Cited Researchers list.

The methodology that determines the “who’s who” of influential researchers draws on the data and analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate.

For the full 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list and executive summary, visit the Clarivate website.