World's Leading Scientists Ranked

Prof. Doron Aurbach, of the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials and the Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, is among the top 0.5% of scientists in the world, according to a ranking recently published by Stanford University in the journal PLOS Biology.  The study combines several different metrics to systematically rank the most influential scientists by scientific field as measured by citations. Analyzing research from 1996 to 2018, the ranking measures the long-term impact of currently active scientists.  In total the work of nearly seven million scientists worldwide was analyzed.  

Prof. Aurbach was ranked 474 out of 100,000 leading scientists around the world, and second among Israeli scientists.  

Prof. Aurbach holds a Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bar-Ilan, a BSc degree in chemical engineering (chemical engineer) from the Technion, and an additional Master's and a PhD from Bar-Ilan. He conducted postdoctoral research at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, then joined the Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan, where he currently serves as a senior professor and director of the Energy Center at the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials.

Prof. Aurbach's research encompasses a wide range of topics, including electrochemistry, advanced materials science, surface chemistry, power sources such as high energy density rechargeable lithium batteries, unique nanometer materials for electrochemical use, water desalination processes using electrochemical methods, spectroscopic measurements (of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation), advanced microscopy of electrochemical systems and more. Prof. Aurbach's research group uses advanced techniques to learn complex electromechanical systems related to power sources. Prof. Aurbach has published more than 700 research papers that have been cited more than 71,500 times by researchers in his field. Among his former students is Prof. Arie Zaban, the current president of Bar-Ilan University. Prof. Aurbach's extensive activities as a senior and influential researcher include managing multimillion-dollar research funds for a research group of more than 40 people, and serving as a senior editor for the Journal of the Electrochemical Society (handling more than 1,000 papers per year).

Prof. Aurbach chaired the Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan from 2001-2005 and the Israel Laboratory Accreditation Authority from 2010-2016.  He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences, and has won many prestigious awards, including the 2018 Eric and Sheila Samson Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation.The first Israeli ever to win the prize, Aurbach was chosen for his contribution to the development of new types of batteries, including one based on magnesium.

Recently the Israel Chemical Society (ICS) announced that it will award its 2020 Gold Medal to Prof. Aurbach for his breakthrough contributions to non-aqueous electrochemistry, development of novel analytical tools, and the invention of new rechargeable batteries and electrochemical processes for water treatment.