Thirty-eight researchers from Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University have been included in Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% scientists for 2026, compiled in collaboration with academic publisher Elsevier.
Of the 38 researchers, 35 feature in the single-year impact category, which assesses citation impact during the previous calendar year. The remaining three are recognised in the career-long impact category, which reflects a researcher’s scholarly influence over their professional career.
The researchers represent engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, medical sciences, biotechnology and agricultural sciences at SOA and its associated institutions.
The Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) accounts for 27 researchers on the list. Eight are from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, while two are from the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital. One researcher is from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences.
Researchers recognised for career-long impact
Those included in the career-long impact category are Prof. Ashok Kumar, an eminent neurosurgeon and principal adviser at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital; Prof. Pradipta Kumar Dash, former director of the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research Cell; and Prof. R. P. Kumar Das, former vice-chancellor of SOA.
Other researchers named in the list include Prof. Kulamani Parida, director of the Centre for Nano Sciences and Nanotechnology; Prof. Lala Behari Sukla, director of the Bio-fuels Bioprocessing Research Centre; Prof. Hrudy Nath Thatoi, director of the Centre for Industrial Biotechnology Research; and Prof. Sanghamitra Nayak, head of the Centre for Biotechnology.
The list also includes Prof. Goutam Rath of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Prof. Rabindranath Padhy of the Central Research Laboratory at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital.
Engineering researchers make up the largest group
The 27 researchers from ITER include Prof. R. N. P. Chaudhary, Prof. Manohar Mishra, Prof. Rashmi Acharya, Prof. Satya Ranjan Mishra, Prof. Tapas Ranjan Routray, Prof. Binod Kumar Sahu, Prof. Renu Sharma, Prof. Niharibala Devi, Prof. P. G. R. Acharya and Dr. Lopamudra Acharya.
Others from the institute are Dr. Satyabrata Subudhi, Dr. Sekhar Chandra Ray, Dr. Subhashree Choudhury, Dr. Santosh Kumar Parida, Dr. Rahul Priyadarshi, Dr. Debasish Panda, Dr. Sudhanshu Sekhar Hota, Dr. Rupa Baitalhu, Dr. Susanginee Nayak, Dr. Subhajit Panda, Dr. Sulagna Patnaik, Dr. Dipti Prava Sahoo, Dr. Debabrata Pradhan and Dr. Suresh Kumar Patra.
The other researchers named include Prof. Ramesh Chandra Ray, adjunct professor at the Centre for Industrial Biotechnology Research; Prof. Gyana Ranjan Rout of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences; Prof. Amit Kumar Nayak; Dr. Vineet Kumar Rai; Dr. George Kerry Rout of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Dr. Sujoya Kumar Panda of the Centre for Biotechnology.
SOA founder president Prof. Manojranjan Nayak congratulated the researchers on their inclusion in the list and expressed confidence in their continued contributions to research.
The Stanford-Elsevier list uses citation-based indicators to identify researchers whose published work has had a significant impact in their respective fields. It includes separate measures for career-long impact and single-year impact, rather than ranking researchers solely by the number of publications they have produced.
