Pictured above: (From left to right) Barnali Dixon, James McHale, Hossam Ashour and Joan Reid were ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide.
Courtesy of American Water Resources Association and USF
By Molly Ryan
A recent study ranked four University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus faculty members among the world’s best, strengthening the university’s goal to become a top research institution.
Ranking among the top 2% of scientists worldwide, professors Hossam Arshour, Barnali Dixon, James McHale and Joan Reid were recognized among a global database of over 100,000 researchers across all fields of study in the study conducted by Netherlands-based publishing company, Elsevier, and Stanford University.
Published last October, the updated study classified scientists into 22 fields and 176 subfields. Scientists were separately evaluated based on either single-year or career-long impact — up to 2020 — using data collected last August. All professors from USF St. Petersburg were honored for their single-year impact in 2020.
In a Feb. 25 press release, Deni Elliot, regional vice chancellor of academic affairs and vice provost at USF’s St. Petersburg campus lauded the professors for their efforts and achievements.
“This recognition is well deserved and speaks volumes about the innovative and transformative work being done by the faculty on our campus,” Elliott said. “Through their discoveries, they make a lasting impact on our communities, our region and our world.”
- A full description of the USF St. Petersburg professors and their rankings: Hossam Ashour, an endowed associate professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, who ranked 2,284 in the field of microbiology and 2,211 in the field of immunology out of a total of 165,244.
- Barnali Dixon, a professor of geosciences and the co-director of the Initiative on Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (iCAR), who ranked 461 in the field of geography out of a total of 51,126.
- James McHale, a psychology professor and founder of the Family Study Center, who ranked 703 in the field of developmental and child psychology out of a total of 18,008.
- Joan Reid, an associate professor of criminology and director of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) research lab, who ranked 113 in the field of criminology out of a total of 10,280.
