IMFD researchers are included in the 2026 Ranking of Best Scientists
The educational platform Research.com recently published its "Best Scientists 2026" ranking, which lists seven researchers from Millennium Institute Foundational Research on Data Chile's most cited scientists in their respective fields of study.
The researchers are Gonzalo Navarro, Aidan Hogan, Claudio Gutiérrez, and Éric Tanter, faculty members at the DCC at the University of Chile, along with Marcelo Arenas and Domingo Mery, faculty members at the DCC at the Catholic University of Chile, who are listed in the “Best Computer Scientists” ranking. Additionally, Sebastián Valenzuela, a faculty member at the Catholic University of Chile’s School of Communications, ranks second nationally in the “Best Social Sciences and Humanities Scientist” category.
Each researcher’s ranking on this list is determined based on the H-index for their specific discipline. This is a metric that measures the impact of academic work by combining productivity and impact, reflecting how many of a researcher’s publications have reached a certain citation threshold. This is evaluated by field of study—computer science, social sciences, and humanities—which allows for a fairer comparison between fields with different publication and citation dynamics.
What sets them apart
To be included in these rankings, each researcher had to meet strict criteria: for both disciplines,the primary requirement was a D-index of at least 30. In addition, the majority of high-impact publications had to be concentrated in the relevant field, reinforcing the disciplinary focus of the assessment. Complementary factors, such as having received awards and other relevant academic achievements within each field, were also taken into account .
Regarding this distinction, Aidan Hogan, director of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chile and deputy director of the IMFD—who is also included in this ranking—noted that “this type of recognition highlights the work and career of each academic, which has been crucial for both national and international science.” In addition, the list of Top Scientists in computer science includes nine Chilean researchers, six of whom are from the IMFD. Furthermore, the Institute is also home to one of the three Chilean researchers highlighted in the field of social sciences and humanities.”
Research.com is an initiative designed to invite researchers, companies, and academic institutions from around the world to closely follow the careers of experts in every field of science, providing transparent and rigorously curated rankings to offer clear insights to leading authorities in specific fields of study worldwide.
For the IMFD, the inclusion of its seven researchers in these types of international rankings reflects the sustained impact of their work across various fields of knowledge. This distinction highlights the contribution of science conducted in Chile, which is capable of generating cutting-edge knowledge and having a significant impact, and which has gained recognition within the international scientific community.
You can view the detailed list at the following link: https://research.com/rankings