Human & Social

31 Tec Researchers Among the Most Cited in the World in 2024

A study by Stanford University and Elsevier has released the annual list of the top 2% most cited scientists worldwide, which includes 31 researchers from Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Michael Ramírez

November 26, 2025

Producing healthier foods, designing devices to diagnose diseases, and developing socially responsible enterprises are among the areas in which 31 researchers from Tecnológico de Monterrey —featured in the 2024 list of the world’s most cited scientists— are working.

A recent study by Stanford University identified the top 2% of scientists with the most citations worldwide. It published two lists: one corresponding to the most cited researchers in the last year, and another recognizing those with significant impact across their academic trajectory. The first ranking includes 31 researchers and the second 24, all of whom are currently or have been part of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

In research, citations are references to other works and serve to give credit to the original authors. A highly cited article demonstrates strong impact within the scientific community and a meaningful contribution to advancing knowledge.

The study’s methodology resulted in nearly 236,000 distinguished specialists, classified across 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields. To create this list, the authors analyzed the work of more than 6 million scientists worldwide.

This study is conducted annually using data from Elsevier, one of the most important scientific publishers, which produces journals such as The Lancet, Cancer Cell, Materials Science, and many others. The analysis uses millions of records from Scopus. This scientific database functions as a search engine and is widely used by the academic community to monitor articles, journals, authors, citation counts, and more.

“This international recognition is a testament to the commitment and culture of excellence of our researchers. At Tec, we are committed to research that translates into practical benefits for society—from public policy to technologies and entrepreneurship initiatives that strengthen the development and resilience of Latin American communities. Being part of the World’s Top 2% Scientists motivates us to move forward with determination toward our Vision 2030,” says Javier Guzmán, Vice President for Research at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Research Must Reach Society

For Daniel Jacobo, Associate Dean of Research at the School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC) —who is also on the list— this recognition is an incentive and a responsibility toward society.

“It is important that our work is seen and cited by other academic peers, but the true responsibility is ensuring that research reaches society. This list is encouraging, but we should feel truly satisfied when we see research addressing the major social challenges.”

He explained that one of the works that has made him one of the most cited researchers focuses on the extraction of nutraceuticals —beneficial compounds in foods (such as antioxidants) that help improve health and prevent diseases like cancer. “It’s about developing a specific methodology to quantify the phenolic compounds present in vegetables, which many scientists now use. This work has been highly cited, with more than a thousand citations according to Google Scholar.”

A Result of Dedication and Commitment

For Víctor Pérez, research professor in the Mechatronics Department of the EIC, the research line that has contributed most to his presence in this ranking is microfluidics. This technology enables the manipulation of very small amounts of liquid and will have many applications in the near future.

One of his most impactful and highly cited articles shows that a 20-year-old theory did not accurately explain certain microfluidic phenomena. “In that work, we presented a new theory that successfully explained these phenomena, which point toward developing mechanisms for early disease detection through portable devices such as ‘lab-on-a-chip’ systems,” he explained.

According to Pérez, being included in this ranking is the result of dedication and commitment not only from him but also from his entire team: undergraduate and graduate students, thesis students, and collaborators.

Tec Researchers Most Cited in 2024

The Tecnológico de Monterrey researchers recognized for their impact over the past year, and who are currently conducting research at the institution are:

Mario Moisés Alvarez
Néstor Fabian Ayala
Francisco Benita Maldonado
Leopoldo Cárdenas Barrón
Isaac Chairez Oria
María Luisa del Prado Audelo
Alex Elías Zúñiga
Gerardo Escobar Valderrama
Leonardo Israel Farfán Cabrera
Silverio García Lara
Julio Gutiérrez Vega
Mostafa Hajiaghaei Keshteli
Bryan Husted
Daniel Jacobo Velázquez
Felicia Knaul
Manish Santosh Kumar
Marc Madou
Jürgen Mahiknecht
Víctor Pérez González
David Romero Díaz
Guillermo Torre Amione
Grissel Trujillo de Santiago
Salvador Venegas Andraca

Career-Long Impact Ranking

In addition to the annual list, the Stanford study includes another ranking recognizing researchers with the highest number of citations throughout their careers. They are: