More than a dozen faculty members from the WashU Brown School have been named to Research.com’s “World’s Best Scientist 2026” rankings, an annual list compiled by the global academic platform.
In the “Best Psychology Scientists 2026” category, honorees include Melissa Jonson-Reid, Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work and associate dean for educational programs; Nancy Morrow-Howell, Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy; and Paz Galupo, Audre Lorde Distinguished Professor of Sexual Health and Education.
Faculty recognized in the “Best Social Sciences and Humanities Scientists 2026” category include:
- Enola Proctor, research professor
- Byron Powell, associate professor and associate dean for research
- Michael Sherraden, George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor
- Mary M. McKay, executive vice provost and professor
- Brett Drake, Professor of Data Science for the Social Good in Practice
- Diana C. Parra Perez, assistant professor
- Leopoldo J. Cabassa, professor
- Amy A. Eyler, professor, associate dean for faculty affairs
- Sarah Font, professor
- Sean Joe, Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development
“The presence of our faculty across multiple categories speaks to the interdisciplinary strength of the Brown School,” said Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School and Professor. “This high-level recognition by Research.com validates the depth of our scholarship and our collective commitment to advancing the social impact through evidence-based research.”
Research.com said the rankings are primarily based on bibliometric data from OpenAlex and CrossRef, two widely used research databases, with additional sources incorporated to strengthen and validate the dataset.