Four Washington State University researchers have been named to the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list, an annual honor that highlights scientists with widespread influence in their fields.
The list is compiled annually by Clarivate, the analytics firm that runs the Web of Science research platform. It honors researchers who rank in the top 1% of citations in their field over the past 11 years, among other factors. For 2025, Clarivate gave awards to 6,868 scientists worldwide.
The WSU researchers named to the list were:
Dan “Annie” Du
- Research professor
College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
From developing a quick test to detect exposure to wildfire smoke to an early detection method for Alzheimer’s disease, Du’s work focuses on producing large health impacts from tiny technology — developing nanomaterials for biosensing and drug delivery, along with microchips for biomarker detection. Her work also includes developing a monitor that can measure disease markers in human sweat, and functional nanoparticles for cancer therapy. Du has been named a Highly Cited Researcher for six consecutive years. Her visionary work continues to shape the future of precision medicine and public health.
Dogan Gursoy
- Regents professor and Taco Bell Distinguished Professor in Hospitality Business Management
Carson College of Business
A major presence in the field of hospitality and tourism research, Gursoy’s work includes studying the use of artificial intelligence throughout the industry — from service delivery to tourist behavior. His research includes a study of how using the term “artificial intelligence” in product descriptions reduces people’s desire to buy them and another on the effects on AI integration in the workplace on employees’ behavior.
Yuehe Lin
- Professor in School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Voiland College of Engineering
Widely recognized for his transformative contributions to materials science and chemistry, Lin has been listed as a Highly Cited Researcher for 12 consecutive years since 2014 — an honor achieved by only about 400 scientists worldwide. Lin’s research has driven major advances in disease diagnosis, targeted drug delivery, and sustainable energy. Among his notable studies are breakthrough in water-splitting, and a new drug delivery technology for cancer treatment.
Nathan McDowell
- Earth Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with a joint appointment in WSU’s School of Biological Sciences
McDowell is an international expert on forest function and disturbance under global environmental change, with a focus on causes and consequences of tree mortality due to drought, fire, insect attack, and sea level rise. Among his many publications, he was lead author on articles on woody plant mortality in Nature Reviews, Earth & Environment and Global Change Biology.
(Photo by Andrea Starr, PNNL)
