80 faculty members selected as Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers and Elsevier’s World’s Top 2% Scientists

Sharing and dissemination of research excellence boost faculty pride and institutional reputation

President CHOI Oe-chool: “I am proud that our creative and challenging research achievements have been recognized globally”

[January 27, 2026]

 Yeungnam University (YU, President CHOI Oe-chool) held the 2025 Academic Year Outstanding Research Faculty Award Ceremony on January 23 at the Cheonma Art Center, honoring faculty members whose outstanding research achievements have contributed significantly to enhancing the University’s research competitiveness and global standing.

<President CHOI Oe-chool presents an Award of Merit to an outstanding research faculty member.>

 The ceremony was organized to recognize outstanding researchers, foster faculty pride, and strengthen the University’s overall research capacity through the sharing and dissemination of exemplary research outcomes.Award recipients were selected based on internationally recognized and authoritative researcher evaluation results. Among the honorees were Professors LEE Yong-rok (School of Chemical Engineering), CHOI In-ho (Department of Biomedical Engineering), SUMANTA Sahoo (School of Chemical Engineering), and RAJACHUDAN (School of Chemical Engineering), who were named Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) in the 2025 list released by Clarivate Plc. In addition, faculty members selected as World’s Top 2% Scientists (2025) by Elsevier were also included, bringing the total number of award recipients to 80.

 <Professors selected as Highly Cited Researchers (from left): RAJACHUDAN, SUMANTA Sahoo, CHOI In-ho, and LEE Yong-rok.>

In his congratulatory remarks, President CHOI stated, “In an era marked by unprecedentedly rapid technological change—driven by artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, and biotechnology—the competitiveness of a university ultimately stems from research. I am extremely proud of our faculty members who have been recognized as outstanding researchers through globally respected evaluations.” He added, “Your dedication and willingness to take on challenges are shaping both the present and future of Yeungnam University. We will continue to expand research infrastructure and strengthen administrative and financial support so that our researchers can fully devote themselves to creative and challenging research endeavors.”

 YU has continued to secure major government- and local government-funded initiatives, expanding strategic investments aimed at nurturing talent and strengthening research capacity in next-generation growth sectors. These investments have translated into qualitative advancements across education and research, yielding tangible results in major domestic and international university rankings. Backed by sustained strategic public funding, YU has steadily enhanced its research capabilities, achieving notable distinctions such as Top 5 nationwide for two consecutive years in the Leiden Ranking, joint 15th place domestically in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, No. 1 among regional private universities in the 2025 INUE–Hankyung University Evaluation, 3rd nationwide in SCI publications per faculty member, and entry into the global top tier of the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI). Building on these accumulated research achievements, YU aims to further advance as a world-class research-oriented university.