Clarivate Reveals Citation Laureates 2026 Recognizing Transformative Scientific Breakthroughs

Clarivate’s 2026 Citation Laureates spotlight 22 highly cited researchers whose work is considered of Nobel class across four disciplines.

Rhea-AI Summary

Clarivate (CLVT) has named 22 researchers as Citation Laureates 2026, recognizing Nobel-class scientific and economic discoveries across physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and economics.

The honorees include pioneers behind GLP-1 biology and medicines for diabetes and obesity, optical coherence tomography, precision gene editing, advanced OLED technologies, and the economics of the digital economy and monetary policy. They are affiliated with institutions in seven countries/regions, with 16 based in the United States. Since 2002, 89 past Citation Laureates have later received Nobel Prizes. Candidates are drawn from the fewer than 0.02% of Web of Science papers cited more than 2,000 times.

Key Figures

Citation Laureates: 22 researchers Subsequent Nobel recipients: 89 Citation Laureates Indexed articles and proceedings: More than 67 million +3 more

Citation Laureates

22 researchers

2026 recognition program

Subsequent Nobel recipients

89 Citation Laureates

Since the program's inception

Indexed articles and proceedings

More than 67 million

Web of Science Core Collection since 1970

Highly cited publications

Less than 0.02%

Cited more than 2,000 times

Countries and regions represented

Seven countries/regions

2026 Citation Laureates affiliations

U.S.-based Laureates

16 researchers

2026 Citation Laureates

Key Terms

glp-1, optical coherence tomography, thermally activated delayed fluorescence, quantum anomalous hall effect, +2 more

6 terms

glp-1 medical

"including pioneers of GLP-1 medicines and other world-changing advances"

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a natural hormone in the body that helps regulate blood sugar levels and appetite. Its significance to investors lies in its role as the basis for a class of medications that address conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are large and growing markets. Advances or investments in GLP-1-based treatments can signal opportunities in healthcare innovation and potentially impact pharmaceutical companies’ growth.

optical coherence tomography medical

"for the development of optical coherence tomography, a new imaging modality"

A noninvasive medical imaging method that uses light waves to create detailed cross‑sectional pictures of tissue, much like an ultrasound uses sound — but with much finer resolution. Investors care because its adoption and improvements drive sales of diagnostic equipment, influence treatment choices and clinical trial outcomes, and can speed or expand reimbursement and market access for devices and therapies tied to earlier or more precise diagnosis.

thermally activated delayed fluorescence technical

"and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF)"

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) is a molecular photophysics mechanism used in some light-emitting materials where heat helps convert non-emissive excited states into light-emitting ones, boosting the fraction of electrical energy turned into light. Think of it as a way for trapped energy to get a second chance to produce photons, increasing efficiency without using rare metals. It matters to investors because TADF materials can enable brighter, more energy-efficient displays and lighting with potentially lower material costs and improved product competitiveness.

quantum anomalous hall effect technical

"for experimental observation of the quantum anomalous Hall Effect"

A quantum anomalous Hall effect is a property of certain materials where electrical current can flow along the edges without energy loss and with a precisely quantized transverse voltage, occurring without any external magnetic field. It matters to investors because materials that show this effect promise ultra-low-power, highly stable electronic or spintronic components—think of current confined to frictionless lanes—so they can enable new kinds of chips and devices that could create commercial opportunities in advanced electronics and quantum technologies.

self-assembled monolayers technical

"for development of self-assembled monolayers (SAMS)"

A self-assembled monolayer is a single-molecule-thick coating that forms spontaneously when certain organic molecules attach in an ordered way to a solid surface, like a tightly packed layer of tiles that arranges itself without being laid one by one. They are used to change surface properties—wettability, adhesion, chemical reactivity or electrical behavior—so they matter to investors because they can enable or improve products and manufacturing in sectors such as electronics, sensors, medical devices and coatings, affecting competitiveness, costs and intellectual property.

base editing medical

"for developing base editing and prime editing"

A laboratory method that changes single “letters” in DNA to correct or alter genes without cutting the entire strand, like fixing a typo in a sentence rather than tearing out the page. It matters to investors because it promises faster, more precise treatments with potentially lower development costs and different safety and regulatory profiles than traditional gene therapies, which can speed clinical progress or create new commercial opportunities — and risks.

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22 researchers honored for Nobel-class discoveries, including pioneers of GLP-1 medicines and other world-changing advances

LONDON, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced the Citation Laureates 2026, a distinguished group of 22 researchers whose work is of Nobel class. Selected by experts at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) at Clarivate, these individuals have made pioneering contributions that continue to shape science and society.

Since the program's inception, 89 Citation Laureates have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes, often years after their initial recognition by Clarivate.

Bar Veinstein, President, Academia & Government at Clarivate, said: "For more than two decades, Citation Laureates has been among the world's most closely watched data-led indicators of exceptional research influence. The Citation Laureates program recognizes researchers whose discoveries demonstrate the extraordinary value of fundamental research. Many of the advances we honor this year, from GLP-1 medicines to precision gene editing and optical medical imaging, began as scientific questions explored decades ago. Today, they are improving lives, informing policy and helping shape the future. We are proud to recognize these researchers and the lasting impact of their work."

Citation Laureates' foundational research papers rank among the most highly cited in their fields, reflecting exceptional influence across disciplines and borders. This year's Laureates have advanced knowledge in fields of profound societal importance, including:

• Physiology or Medicine: GLP-1 biology and obesity treatment, optical imaging, and immune system research
• Physics: Advanced OLED displays, energy-efficient computing materials, and quantum electronics
• Chemistry: Self-assembled nanomaterials, biological electron transfer, and precision gene editing
• Economics: The digital economy, monetary policy and central banking, and organizational innovation and economic dynamism

The Citation Laureates program helps researchers, institutions, funders and policymakers identify highly influential research, while offering science media, Nobel observers and the wider public insight into discoveries shaping the future.

Among this year's most visible discoveries are the scientific advances underpinning GLP-1 medicines, recognizing Daniel J. Drucker, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Mojsov. Their foundational discoveries helped enable GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines, which have transformed the treatment of diabetes and obesity for millions of people worldwide and continue to demonstrate benefits across a growing range of health conditions.

Daniel J. Drucker, Senior Investigator at Sinai Health's Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and University Professor, Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre-Novo Nordisk Chair in Incretin Biology, University of Toronto, said: "It is an honor to be recognized as a Citation Laureate. The story of GLP-1 medicines demonstrates the power of curiosity-driven research. What began as a quest to understand how gut hormones regulate metabolism has led to therapies that are improving the lives of millions of people worldwide. It is a reminder that fundamental science can have impacts far beyond what researchers initially imagine."

The 2026 Laureates are affiliated with leading academic institutions in seven countries/regions, reflecting the global nature of Nobel-class research. Sixteen are based in the United States, and one each in Canada, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Mainland China, and Switzerland.

Since 2002, ISI analysts have used publication and citation data from the Web of Science Core Collection to identify researchers whose work is of Nobel class. Out of more than 67 million articles and proceedings indexed since 1970, less than 0.02% have been cited more than 2,000 times. Citation Laureates are selected from this elite group through rigorous citation analysis and expert insight.

The Citation Laureates 2026 are:

Physiology or Medicine

Daniel J. Drucker, Senior Investigator at Sinai Health's Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute; University Professor, Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre-Novo Nordisk Chair in Incretin Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jens Juul Holst, Professor of Medical Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Senior Group Leader, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Svetlana Mojsov, Lulu Chow Wang and Robin Chemers Neustein Research Professor, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States   "for identification and characterization of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and studies of its biological activity"

James G. Fujimoto, Elihu Thomson Professor of Electrical Engineering, Research Laboratory of Electronics and Department Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States David Huang, Director of Research & Associate Director, Casey Eye Institute; Wold Family Endowed Chair in Ophthalmic Imaging; Professor of Ophthalmology & Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States; Director, Center for Ophthalmic Optics & Lasers (COOL Lab) Eric A. Swanson, Affiliate of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States   "for the development of optical coherence tomography, a new imaging modality in medicine, biomedical research, and other applications"

Timothy A. Springer, Latham Family Professor, Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States   "for identifying key adhesion receptors in the immune system"

Physics

Chihaya Adachi, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan Stephen R. Forrest, Peter A. Franken Distinguished University Professor and Paul G. Goebel Professor of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Mark E. Thompson, University Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States   "for pioneering research on phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), enabling ultrahigh-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes"

Nicola A. Spaldin, Professor, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland   "for fundamental theoretical developments leading to the establishment of room- temperature magnetoelectric multiferroics, which are enabling new energy-efficient device paradigms"

Qikun Xue, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of Southern University of Science and Technology, Professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing, Mainland China "for experimental observation of the quantum anomalous Hall Effect"

Chemistry

David L. Allara, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Materials and Engineering, Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States Ralph G. Nuzzo, G. L. Clark Research Professor of Analytical Chemistry, and Research Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States Jacob Sagiv, Professor, Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel   "for development of self-assembled monolayers (SAMS)"

Harry B. Gray, Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States Jay R. Winkler, Member of the Beckman Institute and Faculty Associate in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States   "for advancing understanding of long-range electron transfer in proteins"

David R. Liu, Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States; Richard Merkin Professor, Broad Institute; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute   "for developing base editing and prime editing, precision gene editing technologies that directly edit DNA in living systems, revolutionizing the life sciences and enabling life- saving programmable medicines"

Economics

Susan C. Athey, The Economics of Technology Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States Hal R. Varian, Formerly Chief Economist, Google, and Professor Emeritus at the School of Information, Haas School of Business, and the Department of Economics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States   "for pioneering analysis of the economics of information technology"

Michael D. Woodford, John Bates Clark Professor of Political Economy, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States   "for contributions to the theory and practice of monetary policy"

Sidney G. Winter, Deloitte and Touche Professor Emeritus of Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States   "for studies of economic dynamism and organizational behavior inspired by evolutionary theory"

While the Citation Laureates program does not aim to predict Nobel Prize recipients in a specific year, it highlights researchers whose work is of Nobel class and merits global recognition.

Notes to editors:

• View the full list of Citation Laureates 2026 and their recognized discoveries.
• Explore the research behind this year's Citation Laureates and discover how today's breakthroughs were decades in the making on the Clarivate blog.
• View the full list of Citation Laureates named since 2002 in the Hall of Citation Laureates.
• David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, is available for interviews.
• The 2026 Nobel Prize announcements will take place from 5-12 October and will be streamed live at www.nobelprize.org.

About Clarivate
Clarivate is a leading global provider of transformative intelligence. We offer enriched data, insights & analytics, workflow solutions and expert services in the areas of Academia & Government, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences & Healthcare. For more information, please visit www.clarivate.com

Media contact:

Rebecca Krahenbuhl, Senior Manager, External Communications, Academia & Government

newsroom@clarivate.com

 

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SOURCE Clarivate Plc

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

How are Citation Laureates selected by Clarivate?

Analysts at the Institute for Scientific Information use publication and citation data from the Web of Science Core Collection to identify researchers whose work is of Nobel class. From more than 67 million articles and proceedings indexed since 1970, they focus on the fewer than 0.02% of papers cited over 2,000 times, then apply rigorous citation analysis and expert insight to select Citation Laureates.

Which research fields are represented in the 2026 Citation Laureates list?

The 2026 Citation Laureates span four areas: physiology or medicine (including GLP-1 biology, optical imaging and immune system research), physics (advanced OLED displays, energy-efficient materials and quantum electronics), chemistry (self-assembled nanomaterials, biological electron transfer and precision gene editing), and economics (the digital economy, monetary policy and organizational innovation and economic dynamism).

What geographic spread do the 2026 Citation Laureates have?

The 22 Laureates are affiliated with leading institutions in seven countries/regions. Sixteen are based in the United States, and one each is based in Canada, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Mainland China and Switzerland, reflecting the global nature of Nobel-class research recognized by Clarivate.

Does the Citation Laureates program aim to predict Nobel Prize winners?

The program does not aim to predict Nobel Prize recipients in a specific year. It is intended to highlight researchers whose work is of Nobel class and merits global recognition. Since the program began, 89 Citation Laureates have subsequently received Nobel Prizes, often years after their initial recognition.

Where can readers find more details on the 2026 Citation Laureates and their work?

Readers are directed to view the full list of Citation Laureates 2026 and their recognized discoveries, explore the research behind this year’s honorees on the Clarivate blog, and review the complete list of Citation Laureates named since 2002 in the Hall of Citation Laureates.

What information is given about upcoming Nobel Prize announcements?

The announcement notes that the 2026 Nobel Prize announcements will take place from 5-12 October and will be streamed live at www.nobelprize.org, providing context for the timing of the Citation Laureates recognition.