Six Qatar university academics feature in 2026 World's Top 2% Scientists list

Six academics from the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) have been included in the 2026 World's Top 2% Scientists List, with their research contributions spanning artificial intelligence, agriculture, business, marketing and telecommunications.

The recognition covers researchers from five academic specialisations, highlighting the range of research conducted at the Qatar-based university. The list is published by Stanford University professor John P A Ioannidis in collaboration with academic publisher Elsevier and uses standardised citation indicators derived from the Scopus database.

The six researchers named by UDST are Dr Zakaria Maamar, dean of its College of Computing and Information Technology; Dr Mueen Uddin, associate professor of data and cybersecurity; Dr Farhat Abbas, professor and senior researcher; Dr Daniel K Maduku, associate professor; Dr Walid Ben-Amar, associate dean of the College of Business; and Dr Adnan Akhundzada, professor of data and cybersecurity.

Researchers recognised across five disciplines

Maamar and Uddin feature in the artificial intelligence and image processing category, while Abbas is recognised in agronomy and agriculture.

Maduku's research field is marketing, while Ben-Amar is included in business and management. Akhundzada's specialisation is networking and telecommunications.

The university said the recognition reflects research contributions across different areas of applied science, technology and business. UDST president Dr Salem Al-Naemi said the achievement demonstrated the quality and relevance of research being undertaken by its academics.

He added that the university aims to strengthen its research-driven environment and contribute to Qatar's ambition of developing a knowledge-based economy.

How the World's Top 2% Scientists list is compiled

The 2026 edition of the World's Top 2% Scientists List includes two separate rankings. The career-long impact category assesses researchers' citation records from 1996 to 2025, while the single-year impact category measures citations received during 2025.

The rankings use standardised citation indicators derived from Scopus data to assess the impact of researchers' published work. These indicators account for factors such as citation counts and other measures of scholarly influence.

The two categories offer different perspectives on research performance: one reflects a scientist's accumulated impact over their career, while the other focuses on their research influence during the most recent year covered.

UDST said its academics were represented across both categories, although it did not specify the individual category placement of each researcher.

UDST's focus on applied research

Established in 2022, the University of Doha for Science and Technology is Qatar's first national university specialising in applied, technical and professional education. It has five colleges covering business, computing and information technology, engineering and technology, health sciences, and general education.

The university offers bachelor's and master's degrees, diplomas and certificates, with research and industry-oriented learning forming part of its academic approach.

The latest recognition adds to its efforts to strengthen research across disciplines and develop expertise in areas relevant to Qatar's economic and technological priorities.