Though he only completed his postdoctoral work two years ago, the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology’s own Professor Boxuan Zhao already ranks among the world's most influential scientists. Earlier this month, Zhao was one of twelve Illinois professors named to the 2025 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers List.
The list, started in 2014 and spanning across multiple disciplines, ranks researchers occupying the top 1% of citations in their field. This is the fifth consecutive year Zhao has been named to the Highly Cited List — a distinction that has separated him as a force in the field of Molecular Biology & Genetics.
“I'm honored by this recognition, which really belongs to my esteemed past mentors, my talented lab members, and supportive collaborators,” Zhao said. “As we continue developing new multi-omics technologies to map how cells communicate with each other, I'm excited about revealing fundamental principles that could impact our understanding of everything from brain circuits to cancer biology. I'm also grateful to the University of Illinois for supporting our lab's work.”
Professor Zhao’s research primarily focuses on mapping the structure and function of mammalian brains. His lab investigates how neural connections change through different experiences, behaviors, and brain disorders. By peering into the brain’s molecular mechanisms with transcriptomic and proteomic data, Zhao has expanded the scientific understanding of the brain’s connection diagram and hopes that his research can be used for developing future therapeutic interventions for human brain disorders.
As an assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Neuroscience, an affiliate of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and with a wide range of research interests, Professor Zhao emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach in his lab and coursework. He has cited chemical biology, bioengineering, and genetics as fields he actively employs as a researcher.
Professor Zhao earned his BS from Peking University, completed his MS and PhD at the University of Chicago, and conducted is postdoctoral research at Stanford University. He joined the Illinois faculty in 2023.
With anticipation of seeing his name on the Highly Cited Researchers List for many years to come, the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology offers its sincere congratulations to Professor Boxuan Zhao for this distinguished honor!
