Martin ranks No. 23 worldwide among environmental scientists

Research.com ranks Randall Martin No. 12 in U.S., 23 in world

Beth Miller 05.06.2022

Randall Martin, the Raymond R. Tucker Distinguished Professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, was ranked No. 12 in the United States and No. 23 worldwide among the top 1,000 environmental scientists by Research.com.

The ranking, the organization’s first for this field, is based on h-index data, a quantitative metric based on analysis of publication data that provides an estimate of the significance and broad impact of a researcher’s contributions. The Research.com ranking includes scientists with an h-index of at least 30 for scientific papers published in environmental sciences.

The criteria for scientists to be considered for the ranking are based on the discipline h-index, proportion of the contributions made within the given discipline as well as their awards and achievements. More than 9,000 profiles of environmental scientists were examined to determine the ranking.

Martin, a world-renowned expert in atmospheric composition, also ranks among the world’s most highly cited researchers by the Institute for Scientific Information.

Martin's research focuses on characterizing atmospheric composition to inform effective policies surrounding major environmental and public health challenges ranging from air quality to climate change. He leads a research group at the interface of satellite remote sensing and global modeling, with applications that include population exposure for health studies, top-down constraints on emissions, and analysis of processes that affect atmospheric composition. He serves as model scientist for a leading global atmospheric model (GEOS-Chem), leads a global fine particulate matter network (SPARTAN) to evaluate and enhance satellite-based estimates of fine particulate matter, and on multiple science teams for satellite instruments including MAIA, TEMPO and GEMS. Data from his group are relied upon for a large number of assessments, including for the OECD Regional Well-Being Index, for World Health Organization estimates of global mortality due to fine particulate matter, for the Global Burden of Disease Project to examine the risk factors affecting global public health and for a wide range of health studies.

The McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis promotes independent inquiry and education with an emphasis on scientific excellence, innovation and collaboration without boundaries. McKelvey Engineering has top-ranked research and graduate programs across departments, particularly in biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and computing, and has one of the most selective undergraduate programs in the country. With 165 full-time faculty, 1,420 undergraduate students, 1,614 graduate students and 21,000 living alumni, we are working to solve some of society’s greatest challenges; to prepare students to become leaders and innovate throughout their careers; and to be a catalyst of economic development for the St. Louis region and beyond.