Seven researchers from The UWI St. Augustine Campus ranked in the top 2% of authors in their disciplines
Seven researchers from The UWI St. Augustine Campus have been named among the top 2% of the authors in their respective research disciplines globally, in a database published in PLOS Biology journal, authored by academics from Stanford University. The list represents scientists within the top 2% of their main sub-field discipline across those who have published at least five papers. It is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The scientists are Professor Terence Seemungal, Professor Hazi Azamathulla, Dr. Sephra Rampersad, Professor Christopher Oura, Dr. Mandreker Bahall, Dr. Rajiv Dahiya and the late Professor Dave Chadee.
These rankings are globally recognised and based on an analysis of data available in the Scopus database, which is the standard for extracting bibliometric data for researchers worldwide. The list ranks more than 180,000 re-searchers within 22 scientific disciplines and 176 subfields, in an objective and transparent process. The process takes into account various measures of citations that a researcher receives as a single, first, or last author, including total citations and the Hirsch h-index metrics. The database is updated annually, which accounts for the additions and subtractions each year.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI St. Augustine Campus, Professor Brian Copeland, in congratulating his colleagues, noted that while the recognition is a personal achievement for the scientists, it is synonymous with the University’s wider impact. “When these are considered in conjunction with the 2021 Times Higher Edu-cation institutional ranking of The UWI in the top 1.5% of the best universities globally, further confirm the strategic leadership and stewardship of The UWI, its scholastic research output, and advocacy,” he added.
1. Professor Terence Seemungal – Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. His professional career has been focused on teaching and research with a particular interest in pulmonology, infectious diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and obesity. In 2017, he and his team completed the first National Study of Chronic Lung Disease. He is a member of The UWI COVID-19 Task Force, set up in 2020 to leverage the University’s knowledge and experts to assist the Caribbean in its readiness and response to the virus outbreak.
2. Professor Hazi Azamathulla – Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering. His research interests are in the fields of water resources engineering physical hydraulic model studies and hydroinformatics and climate change. He is a member of the editorial board of several high-ranked Journals including the Journal of Water Science and Technology, Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering – ASCE (200-13) and the Dam Engineering Journal. He is also the Associate Editor of the Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier).
3. Dr. Sephra Rampersad – Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Science and Technology. Her research interests lie in the application of molecular ecology tools for studying population genetics and genetic diversity; the innovation, development, and assessment of molecular approaches for pathogen characterization; the innovation and development of biochemical methods for bioactive compound screening; and characterization of plant diseases and pathogen profiling and identification of epidemic-associated factors affecting plant diseases
4. Professor Christopher Oura – Professor of Veterinary at the School of Veterinary Medicine. He leads a ‘One-Health’ research programme concentrating on zoonotic and animal pathogens of importance within the Caribbean region and is also a member of The UWI COVID-19 Task Force. He is also running a Climate Change and Health Leaders Fellowship programme. His research interests are in Veterinary Virology, Veterinary Haemoparasitology, Population Genetics, One Health.
5. Dr. Mandreker Bahall – Associate Lecturer at the School of Medicine and UWI Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business. His expertise is in internal medicine and cardiology. His research interest focuses on patient satisfaction expanding to the quality of life of patients with cardiac diseases with and without depression, access to public health care and equity, methods for mitigating issues in the Trinidad and Tobago healthcare system relating to overcrowding and lastly emphasizing patients as a comprehensive whole with their individual psychological and social needs as opposed to simply treating their illnesses.
6. Dr. Rajiv Dahiya – Director of the School of Pharmacy and Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. His main research interests are in the synthesis and biological evaluation of complex natural cyclooligopeptides by solution-phase technique; preparation and pharmacological screening of amino acid and peptide derivatives of heterocyclic and other aromatic compounds; and design and synthesis of amino acid/peptide-based prodrugs.
7. The late Professor Dave Chadee was one of the world’s foremost experts on vector-borne diseases and the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. A renowned Entomologist and Parasitologist, and an expert in vector-borne diseases, his work positively affected the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the world. He led research into mosquito-spread diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever, and malaria and most recently, the Zika virus. His work on mosquitoes guided the development of mosquito traps, new disease surveillance systems, and new control strategies.