Five Derby academics added to list of the world’s leading scientists

Five leading academics from the University of Derby have been added to a prestigious global list of the world’s top scientists for 2026.  

The ‘World Ranking Top 2% Scientists’ list, which is created by and updated annually by Stanford University, identifies influential researchers across a range of disciplines based on their published research.

The University of Derby – Uni Compare’s UK University of the Year for 2027 and ranked first for employability - has increased its representation in the ranking this year, with a total of 16 academics on the list.

The ranking, which includes over 100,000 scientists, is based on two datasets; one career-long and one focusing on the previous year, showing how frequently academics are cited according to a range of measures.  

Data is collated from the Scopus database in August 2026; a large, multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature that is curated by experts who are recognised as leaders in their field.  

The University of Derby academics added to the list for 2026 for their innovative research are:  

• Professor Neil Campbell - Emeritus Professor of American Studies
• Stephen Lokier, Senior Lecturer in Applied Sedimentology and GeoEnergy
• Reza Safari - Senior Lecturer Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Professor David Sheffield - Professor of Psychology
• Dmitry Zaitsev - Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering

They join fellow University of Derby academics who are already on the list: 

• Professor Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Professor of Operations Management and Head of the Centre for Supply Chain Improvement 
• Professor Paul Gilbert, Professor of Research 
• Abid Khan, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science 
• Professor Naveed Khan, Professor in Biomedical Science 
• Samuel Oluwarotimi, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science 
• Zia Rehman, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering 
• Professor Miles Richardson, Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness 
• Muhammad Rizwan, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science 
• Professor Hugh Rollinson, Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences 
• Professor Michael Sweet, Professor of Molecular Ecology 
• Professor Zhiyin Yang, Professor of Aerospace Engineering 

Professor Myra Conway, Provost for Innovation and Research at the University of Derby, said:

“It is tremendous to see so many of our academics at the University featured in the World Rankings. This recognition highlights their global research influence, academic excellence, and the significant contributions they make to advancing knowledge with their disciplines. 

"It is a real testament to the high-impact research, innovation and leadership that our academics bring to their fields. 

“This recognition further strengthens the University of Derby’s reputation for delivering excellent research that is both internationally recognised and impactful. 

"For our academics, inclusion in these rankings reflects the influence, credibility and leadership they have established within their respective disciplines.” 

The University is committed, as indicated by being a signatory of external benchmarks; San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), to the responsible use of publication-based metrics and the use of a combination of appropriate qualitative and quantitative indicators to consider the quality of individual research publications. 

Find out more about the University’s responsible use of research metrics