Three CSE faculty make Top 10 list of Best Scientists in their discipline
Portrait collage of three people set above the logo of the University of Minnesota.
The three faculty members on the Top 10 list of Best Scientists include Professor R. Lawrence Edwards (upper left); Professor Georgios Giannakis (upper right); and Donald Truhlar (lower left).

200+ CSE faculty make the full Best Scientists in the World list based on their research contributions

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/31/2025) — In a recent Research.com ranking, three University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering faculty made the Top 10 list of Best Scientists for their contributions to research in their respective fields. 

R. Lawrence Edwards, ranked #9 in the United States in Earth Sciences. Edwards is a Regents and Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. He is a renowned isotope geochemist known for his role in the development of modern uranium-thorium dating methods, which has transformed our understanding of Earth’s climate history and ocean chemistry.

Georgios Giannakis ranked #10 in the world and #6 in the United States in Electronics and Electrical Engineering. Giannakis is a Professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and  is a prominent figure in the field of signal processing and its wide ranging applications. He has been recognized for path-breaking research contributions to the areas of statistical signal processing, data modeling and information transmission, that have markedly advanced several fields, including wireless communications, networks, data science and machine learning. 

Donald Truhlar ranked #9 in the world and #4 in the United States in Chemistry. Truhlar is a University of Minnesota Regents Professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry and one of the top theoretical chemists in the world. His multifaceted research in theoretical and computational chemistry focuses on kinetics, dynamics, solvation, electronic structure, thermochemistry, and catalysis—with special emphasis on reaction dynamics and quantum mechanics.

The criteria for the rankings are based on their Discipline H-index (D-index), contributions made within a given discipline, awards/achievements of the scientist in specific areas, along with the number of publications and citations. The D-Index is used to rank scholars in descending order combined with the total number of citations. 

Below is the full list of faculty from the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering by ranking discipline who made the 2025 Best Scientists in the World list for their research contributions. Each faculty member’s home department is listed after their names. The varied home departments listed under each discipline demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of research at the University of Minnesota.

Chemistry

Computer Science

Earth Science

Electronics & Electrical Engineering

Engineering and Technology

Environmental Sciences

Materials Science

Mathematics

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Physics

See the full national list and read more about the rankings on the Research.com website.

Story by Kalie Pluchel

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Contacts:

Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering, [email protected]

University Public Relations, [email protected]

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