EMU Academics Shine on Stanford’s List of the World’s Most Influential Scientists

Twenty academics from Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) have earned spots among the world’s most-cited researchers in the “World’s Top Scientists” rankings, published on October 7, 2026. The study was conducted by a team of scientists from the United States and the Netherlands under the coordination of Stanford University. The fact that nearly all the featured EMU scientists are citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has been hailed as a significant source of pride for both the state university and the country.

Prepared using Scopus data with the support of Elsevier B.V., the study listed 249,310 researchers in the “Single-Year Impact” ranking and 243,949 in the “Career-Long Impact” ranking, highlighting the most-cited scientists across the globe.

EMU recorded a total of 34 academic entries across the rankings, with 20 academics listed in the single-year impact database and 14 featured in the career-long database.

EMU researchers were recognized across a wide range of disciplines, including tourism, physics, mathematics, economics, chemistry, and various engineering fields, as well as artificial intelligence and image processing, demonstrating the cross-disciplinary citation impact of the university’s research output.

In the field of Sport, Leisure and Tourism, Prof. Dr. Osman M. Karatepe ranked 10th globally, 3rd in Europe, and 1st in Turkey in the career-long impact ranking, placing 15th overall in Turkey’s general list. In the single-year impact list for the same discipline, Prof. Dr. Karatepe ranked 14th globally, 6th in Europe, and 1st in Turkey, while securing 8th place overall in Turkey’s general ranking.

In the single-year impact rankings, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo ranked 31st globally, 7th in Europe, and 2nd in Turkey in Chemical Engineering, finishing 49th overall in Turkey’s general ranking. Prof. Dr. Ali Övgün ranked 44th globally, 17th in Europe, and 1st in Turkey in Nuclear and Particle Physics, while placing 20th in Turkey’s general ranking. Prof. Dr. Nazım İ. Mahmudov placed 83rd globally, 33rd in Europe, and 3rd in Turkey in General Mathematics.

In the same single-year list, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babak Safaei ranked 91st globally, 19th in Europe, and 5th in Turkey in Mechanical Engineering and Transports, placing 67th overall in Turkey. Prof. Dr. Hasan Kömürcügil ranked 101st globally, 32nd in Europe, and 1st in Turkey in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

EMU researchers also led the rankings within the TRNC. In the TRNC career-long impact list, six EMU academics featured in the top 10: Prof. Dr. Osman M. Karatepe ranked 1st, Prof. Dr. Nazım İ. Mahmudov 4th, Prof. Dr. Salih T. Katırcıoğlu 5th, Prof. Dr. Ali Övgün 6th, Prof. Dr. Hasan Kömürcügil 8th, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babak Safaei 9th. In the TRNC single-year impact ranking, EMU took five spots in the top 10: Prof. Dr. Osman M. Karatepe placed 1st, Prof. Dr. Ali Övgün 3rd, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo 4th, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babak Safaei 6th, and Prof. Dr. Nazım İ. Mahmudov 9th.

Commenting on the achievement, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Kılıç said: “At the heart of our university’s research success lies the hard work of our academics who produce high-quality scientific studies. International collaborations, research conducted alongside our master’s and doctoral students, scientific publications, and the citations these works receive continue to bolster EMU’s research repository and international visibility.”

Kılıç added: “Having our academics included in both the annual and career-long impact lists is a tremendous source of pride for us. Along with scientists who have contributed to our university for many years, we find it equally valuable to see our early-career researchers on these lists. I believe these accomplishments serve as an inspiring example for our students and researchers.”

He concluded: “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our scientists featured on the lists, and my thanks to the research teams and graduate students who contributed to their scientific work. Improving our university’s research environment and fostering high-quality scientific output will remain among our top priorities.”