 |
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 Jens Juul Holst, Professor of Medical Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Svetlana Mojsov, Lulu Chow Wang and Robin Chemers Neustein Research Professor,
"for identification and characterization of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and studies of |
|
James G. Fujimoto, Elihu Thomson Professor of Electrical Engineering, Research David Huang, Director of Research & Associate Director, Casey Eye Institute; Wold Eric A. Swanson, Affiliate of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT, Cambridge,
"for the development of optical coherence tomography, a new imaging modality in |
|
Timothy A. Springer, Latham Family Professor, Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard
"for identifying key adhesion receptors in the immune system" |
|
Physics |
|
Chihaya Adachi, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Organic Stephen R. Forrest, Peter A. Franken Distinguished University Professor and Paul G. Mark E. Thompson, University Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and
"for pioneering research on phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) |
|
Nicola A. Spaldin, Professor, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
"for fundamental theoretical developments leading to the establishment of room- |
|
Qikun Xue, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of Southern "for experimental observation of the quantum anomalous Hall Effect" |
|
Chemistry |
|
David L. Allara, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Ralph G. Nuzzo, G. L. Clark Research Professor of Analytical Chemistry, and Research Jacob Sagiv, Professor, Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science Department,
"for development of self-assembled monolayers (SAMS)" |
|
Harry B. Gray, Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Jay R. Winkler, Member of the Beckman Institute and Faculty Associate in Chemistry,
"for advancing understanding of long-range electron transfer in proteins" |
|
David R. Liu, Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences, Harvard
"for developing base editing and prime editing, precision gene editing technologies that |
|
Economics |
|
Susan C. Athey, The Economics of Technology Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Hal R. Varian, Formerly Chief Economist, Google, and Professor Emeritus at the School
"for pioneering analysis of the economics of information technology" |
|
Michael D. Woodford, John Bates Clark Professor of Political Economy, Columbia
"for contributions to the theory and practice of monetary policy" |
|
Sidney G. Winter, Deloitte and Touche Professor Emeritus of Management, The
"for studies of economic dynamism and organizational behavior inspired by evolutionary |
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
Source : Clarivate Reveals Citation Laureates 2026 Recognizing Transformative Scientific Breakthroughs
The information provided in this article was created by Cision PR Newswire, our news partner. The author's opinions and the content shared on this page are their own and may not necessarily represent the perspectives of Siam News Network.