A recently published list of the world's top researchers has reinforced UNT's reputation as a world-class Tier One research university. Forty-six UNT researchers were included in the ranking of the world's most cited researchers, who are among the top 2% of more than six million scientists worldwide within their specialty areas throughout their careers. Fifty-one researchers were among the top 2% for a single year — 2019. The ranking method is based on standardized citation metrics developed by a group of scientists led by a statistician at Stanford University and is considered by many as a more holistic method of judging the impact of a researcher's work compared to use of a single metric.

College of Engineering researchers are developing technologies in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense to improve the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Wonbong Choi (pictured) is using an integrated flexible energy system to study high ion transport behavior in two-dimensional nanomaterials to create a way for UAVs to charge faster and store more energy. Choi and Ifana Mahbub also are developing a suite of self-powered wireless sensors and wireless interfaces for UAVs. Other researchers are working with the Army Research Laboratory to create reconfigurable UAVS for use on the battlefield, design lightweight drones to increase range and payload of Army UAVs and use their expertise in tribology to improve drone operations.

Ed Dzialowski, a developmental comparative physiologist who studies the similarities and differences of anatomy and physiology between species, is conducting cardiopulmonary research that could assist the treatment or prevention of a common birth defect in premature infants. Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, he and his research team are studying the ductus arteriosus — the fetal artery connecting the aorta and pulmonary artery. He's hoping to find an alternative treatment to surgery for a condition known as patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA, that often occurs in infants born prematurely.

Elizabeth Skellam, new assistant professor of chemistry, is using genomics to help uncover fungal molecules that could potentially be used as new medicines or natural pesticides. She recently received a Bayer Crop Science Grants4Ag Award for her work using fungi as biocontrol agents to protect crops against specific plant pathogens. And a new National Science Foundation grant is helping her get her lab up and running. It's a grant she had time to apply for while trying to make her way to Denton from Europe. "That was like six months of absolute chaos," she says. "I just want to express how grateful I am to UNT for helping me get here in the middle of the pandemic."

Engineering faculty are helping prepare the future workforce in artificial intelligence through three separate programs this summer. Hui Zhao and Mark Albert were awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates program to provide 10-week programs in accelerated deep learning. Two other programs, organized by Mark Albert and Ting Xiao, will offer AI training specifically for UNT students. AI4All is working with UNT to offer an immersive research program for undergraduates interested in AI with no prior computing experience necessary, and the UNT AI Summer Research Program will provide an immersive experience to guide UNT graduate and undergraduate students already in AI-related programs through all stages of the research process.

College of Education Assistant Professor Lauren Eutsler is studying how teachers are handling the new world of education after a shift to remote instruction due to COVID-19 restrictions. She notes in her published research, with researchers from the University of Florida and York College of Pennsylvania, that priorities have shifted since remote learning. While individual safety and well-being were the priority when everyone first went into lockdown in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, self-care is often stressed as a priority after a year of socially distanced living, isolation and quarantine.

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