Salk Professors Joseph Ecker, Ronald Evans, Rusty Gage, Satchidananda Panda, Reuben Shaw, and Kay Tye, as well as research assistant Joseph Nery, have all been named to the Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate. The 2024 list includes 6,636 researchers from 59 countries who have demonstrated “significant and broad influence in their fields of research,” as reflected by their publication of multiple papers over the past decade that rank in the top 1% by citations for their fields.

“The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at the Salk Institute whose significant and broad influence in their fields translates to impact in their research community,” says David Pendlebury, head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. “Their pioneering innovations contribute to a healthier, more sustainable, and secure world. These researchers’ achievements strengthen the foundation of excellence and innovation that drives societal progress.”

Joseph Ecker
Ecker is a professor in the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, the director of the Genomic Analysis Laboratory, the Salk International Council Chair in Genetics, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. His research focuses on genomic and epigenomic regulation in both plants and mammals.

He is a leader in the use of sequencing technologies for genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation, chromatin conformation, transcription, and gene function in single cells. His teams were the first to map the entire human epigenome and the first plant epigenome. He is also an integral part of Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative to mitigate climate change through plant-based carbon sequestration.

Ronald Evans
Evans is a professor and director of the Gene Expression Laboratory, the March of Dimes Chair in Molecular and Developmental Biology, and a member of Salk’s Conquering Cancer Initiative. An expert in the essential roles of hormone receptors in reproduction, growth, and metabolism, Evans is known for the discovery of the Nuclear Receptor Superfamily. This work revealed novel pathways involved in cancer and metabolic diseases that are targetable by drugs that activate these receptors. Many dozens of approved drugs have been developed with Evans’ technology for the treatment of leukemia, prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, liver disease, diabetes, and hypertension.

Rusty Gage
Gage is a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics, the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease, and the former president of the Salk Institute. He is a neuroscientist who studies the plasticity, adaptability, and diversity of cells in the brain. By reprogramming human skin cells from patients with neurologic and psychiatric diseases into induced pluripotent stem cells, induced neurons, and organoids, his work is deciphering the mechanisms that lead to disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disease, depression, and autism spectrum disorder. He also leads the American Heart Association-Allen Initiative at Salk to study the mechanisms of brain aging and cognitive decline, particularly in the context of Alzheimer’s disease.

Satchidananda Panda
Panda is a professor in the Regulatory Biology Laboratory, holder of the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair, and director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Salk. His research focuses on how the body’s internal circadian clocks, located in the brain and other organs, interact with environmental light and lifestyle factors to regulate daily rhythms in physiology and metabolism. His work reveals how nutrition, exercise, and sleep impact overall health and uses these insights to enhance human performance, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and promote healthy aging.

Reuben Shaw
Shaw is a professor in the Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory and holder of the William R. Brody Chair. He is also the director of Salk’s National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center and a two-time recipient of the National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award. Shaw’s research on the intersection of growth control and metabolism fueled the re-emergence of the field of tumor metabolism. His discovery and decoding of the AMPK pathway have led to many insights and new therapeutic targets in cancer, metabolic disease, and neurodegenerative diseases currently being tested for clinical use.

Kay Tye
Tye is a professor in the Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, holder of the Wylie Vale Chair, co-founder of Salk’s DISCOVER Program, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Her work uses optogenetic, electrophysiological, and cellular imaging techniques to explore the neural circuit basis of emotion and behavior. Using this approach, Tye is identifying how distinct amygdalar circuits can shape motivated behaviors such as social interaction, reward-seeking, and avoidance. Her findings could inform new treatments for a multitude of neuropsychiatric conditions including anxiety, depression, addiction, and social impairment.

Joseph Nery
Nery is a research assistant in Ecker’s lab. He has been with the Salk Institute since 2006, where he lends his expertise in single-cell genetic and epigenetic sequencing techniques and computational analyses. His work has enabled numerous discoveries in plant biology and neuroscience.