51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Two academics from the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Manchester have been included in a list of the world¡¯s ¡°hottest¡± researchers.

Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, both professors in the condensed matter group within Manchester¡¯s School of Physics and Astronomy, take joint second and third place respectively in the annual list compiled by data analyst Thomson Reuters.

The ranking is based on the number of ¡°hot papers¡± researchers have produced ¨C articles that are less than two years old and have been cited at a rate markedly higher than papers of comparable type and age. The analysis covers the period 2008-09 and is based on citations measured by Thomson Reuters¡¯ Web of Science database.

Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov are credited with the discovery of graphene ¨C a material that has potential as a substitute for silicon in electronics.

The former produced 13 ¡°hot¡± papers in the period, the latter produced 12.

The world¡¯s hottest researcher was identified as Rudolf Jaenisch, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who produced 14 biochemistry papers that made the grade. His area of expertise is stem-cell research.

Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov were the only UK researchers to feature in the list.

Christopher King, editor of Thomson Reuters¡¯ Science Watch newsletter, which published the results, said the annual ranking ¡°allows us to recognise those who are leading scientific thought¡±.

zoe.corbyn@tsleducation.com