Most Influential Chemists 2010-2020

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Scerri Eric 2019

UCLA chemistry lecturer and author Eric Scerri is ranked 2nd in all chemical influencers in the world over the last decade (2010-2020) by AcademicInfluence.com.

According to the AcademicInfluence.com website, their team of academics and data scientists looked at influential chemists over the last decade to determine the most influential chemists today. Based on their ranking methodology, the individuals included on the list have significantly impacted the academic discipline of chemistry within 2010-2020.  

The ten chemists, in order of ranking, are: Carolyn Bertozzi, Eric Scerri, Ada Yonath, Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart (UCLA Professor Emeritus), Paul Anastas, Omar M. Yaghi, George C. Schatz, and George M. Whitesides, and Harry B. Gray.

Scerri is a chemist, author and leading historian and philosopher of science, specializing in the periodic table of the chemical elements. He is the author of The Periodic Table, Its Story and Its Significance, (Oxford University Press, 2007) and numerous other books on this and related topics. His writing includes a number of books directed at the general public such as A Very Short Introduction to the Periodic Table, and 30-Second Elements. He is a frequent contributor to popular science magazines such as Scientific American and New Scientist.

As a full-time lecturer in chemistry and history and philosophy of science at UCLA for the past 21 years, Scerri regularly teaches classes of 350 undergraduates as well as classes in history and philosophy of science. His research ranges across many areas including chemical education, and historical and philosophical questions such as the relationship between chemistry and quantum physics.

Scerri has been a consultant for TV and radio programs and appears in TV interviews. He was featured extensively in the PBS television series titled “The Mystery of Matter”. Scerri has given lectures to general audiences on all six continents. His topics include presentations on how science differs from other forms of knowledge and how it affects everybody’s life.

To learn more about Scerri, visit his website.

Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.