The Stanford University names CPSBB’s scientist among the most influential biotechnologists in the world

Prof. Milen Georgiev has been distinguished in the top 1% among the most influential biotechnologists in the world. The achievement of Prof. Georgiev, who is a Head of scientific structures at the Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology (CPSBB) and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), was officially announced by Stanford University in this year’s ranking of the best scientists in the world.

The ranking is based on a global database of authors and standardized indicators. What distinguishes the Stanford University ranking is the fact that scientists are evaluated not only by the total number of citations, but also by combined metrics – indicators that take into account the real contribution of the author, including his position in publications and co-authorship corrections. Both the contribution throughout the career and the current activity of researchers from all over the world in 22 scientific fields and 174 disciplines are measured.

In the discipline “Biotechnology” Stanford University this year distinguished representatives from scientific institutes in the USA, China, Great Britain, Germany, India, Japan, Israel, Switzerland, Singapore, etc. Prof. Milen Georgiev is the first and only researcher from Bulgaria to be recognized as being in the top 1% in this discipline.

The main criteria by which scientists in the ranking are evaluated are a high number of citations (the publications of the respective scientist must be cited by colleagues worldwide), significant contribution as a main author (priority is given to citations when the researcher is an independent author, first author or last author), sustainability and a high level of scientific production, publications in prestigious international journals, participation in significant projects with international cooperation, participation in reviews and scientific committees, etc.

Prof. Milen Georgiev is part of the research team formed by Prof. Tsanko Gechev, which in 2015 founded the first Bulgarian Center of Excellence – CPSBB. Prof. Georgiev’s research focuses on longevity, obesity and photoaging through biosynthesis of biologically active substances, development of biotechnological approaches for sustainable bioproduction, metabolomics, metabolic profiling and molecular pharmacology. Prof. Georgiev has published over 200 scientific articles in international journals with high impact factor and has delivered over 70 lectures in 25 countries. He is the author of 13 book chapters and has a total of over 10,000 international citations, h-index 53 (Google Scholar) and 47 (Scopus) and since this year he has become-editor of the prestigious journal Phytomedicine.

„This recognition is not mine personally. It is a result of long-term efforts of the research teams that I have the honor to lead at CPSBB and BAS and I hope that one day we will see one of my younger colleagues in this ranking. Biotechnology is a dynamic and extremely promising scientific field that offers solutions to global problems. I believe that more and more young people should develop their professional careers in biotechnology, because the world is experiencing a serious shortage of experts in this scientific field. That is why my colleagues at CPSBB invested a lot of effort in the Center to be accredited for training doctoral students in biotechnology. This recognition, both for me and for all Bulgarian colleagues included in the ranking, is a recognition for Bulgaria and proves that Bulgarian science is a factor in the global scientific dialogue”, emphasizes Prof. Milen Georgiev.