2026 Aziz Sancar: Molecular Biology Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Molecular Biology	145	100	87	64	56	459	65022

Research.com Recognitions

2026 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
2025 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
2023 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
2016 - Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
2015 - Nobel Prize for mechanistic studies of DNA repair
2005 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
2004 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1994 - Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences

Overview

Aziz Sancar is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States. The primary field of study is Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology, with a total of 186 publications. Their work spans several subfields including Molecular Biology, Plant Science, Endocrine and Autonomic Systems, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, and Genetics.

The scientist's research focuses on several main topics, such as:

DNA Repair Mechanisms
Light effects on plants
CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques

Among recent papers authored or co-authored by Aziz Sancar are:

Clocks, cancer, and chronochemotherapy, 2020, Science
Molecular mechanism of the repressive phase of the mammalian circadian clock, 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The circadian clock shapes the Arabidopsis transcriptome by regulating alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation, 2020, Journal of Biological Chemistry
Circadian clock, carcinogenesis, chronochemotherapy connections, 2021, Journal of Biological Chemistry
Molecular Mechanisms of Transcription-Coupled Repair, 2023, Annual Review of Biochemistry

Frequent collaborators in their research include:

Christopher P. Selby
Laura A. Lindsey-Boltz
Joyce T. Reardon
Michael G. Kemp
Jinchuan Hu

Aziz Sancar's publications have appeared in multiple venues, with the most common being:

UNC Libraries
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Nucleic Acids Research

The scientist has also contributed to book publications, including a title published by the Royal Society of Chemistry:

DNA Damage, DNA Repair and Disease, 2020

Aziz Sancar has received multiple awards, including:

Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), 2016
Nobel Prize, 2015, for mechanistic studies of DNA repair
Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2005
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2004
Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences, 1994

Best Publications

Molecular Mechanisms of Mammalian DNA Repair and the DNA Damage Checkpoints

Aziz Sancar;Laura A Lindsey-Boltz;Keziban Unsal-Kaçmaz;Stuart Linn

4140
Citations
Structure and function of DNA photolyase and cryptochrome blue-light photoreceptors.

Aziz Sancar

1525
Citations
DNA excision repair

Aziz Sancar

1489
Citations
DNA REPAIR ENZYMES

Aziz Sancar;Gwendolyn B. Sancar

1175
Citations
Simple method for identification of plasmid-coded proteins.

A Sancar;A M Hack;W D Rupp

1164
Citations
Structure and Function of DNA Photolyase

Aziz Sancar

930
Citations
Differential regulation of mammalian period genes and circadian rhythmicity by cryptochromes 1 and 2.

Martha Hotz Vitaterna;Christopher P. Selby;Takeshi Todo;Hitoshi Niwa

853
Citations
Molecular mechanism of transcription-repair coupling

Christopher P. Selby;Aziz Sancar

800
Citations
Mechanisms of DNA excision repair.

Aziz Sancar

789
Citations
A novel repair enzyme: UVRABC excision nuclease of Escherichia coli cuts a DNA strand on both sides of the damaged region

Aziz Sancar;W.Dean Rupp

762
Citations
Crystal structure of DNA photolyase from Escherichia coli.

Hee Won Park;Sang Tae Kim;Sang Tae Kim;Aziz Sancar;Johann Deisenhofer

722
Citations
Dual role of TFIIH in DNA excision repair and in transcription by RNA polymerase II

Ronny Drapkin;Joyce T. Reardon;Athar Ansari;Juch Chin Huang

594
Citations
HUMAN MUTSALPHA RECOGNIZES DAMAGED DNA BASE PAIRS CONTAINING O6-METHYLGUANINE, O4-METHYLTHYMINE, OR THE CISPLATIN-D(GPG) ADDUCT

Derek R. Duckett;James T. Drummond;Alastair I. H. Murchie;Joyce T. Reardon

581
Citations
Human nucleotide excision nuclease removes thymine dimers from DNA by incising the 22nd phosphodiester bond 5' and the 6th phosphodiester bond 3' to the photodimer.

Juch-Chin Huang;Daniel L. Svoboda;Joyce T. Reardon;Aziz Sancar

567
Citations
Reconstitution of Human DNA Repair Excision Nuclease in a Highly Defined System

David Mu;Chi-Hyun Park;Tsukasa Matsunaga;David S. Hsu

567
Citations
Vitamin B2-based blue-light photoreceptors in the retinohypothalamic tract as the photoactive pigments for setting the circadian clock in mammals

Yasuhide Miyamoto;Aziz Sancar

522
Citations
Reaction Mechanism of Human DNA Repair Excision Nuclease

David Mu;David S. Hsu;Aziz Sancar

510
Citations
Role of Mouse Cryptochrome Blue-Light Photoreceptor in Circadian Photoresponses

Randy J. Thresher;Martha Hotz Vitaterna;Yasuhide Miyamoto;Aleksey Kazantsev

507
Citations
HMG-domain proteins specifically inhibit the repair of the major DNA adduct of the anticancer drug cisplatin by human excision nuclease.

Juch Chin Huang;Deborah B. Zamble;Joyce T. Reardon;Stephen J. Lippard

496
Citations
In vitro Repair of Oxidative DNA Damage by Human Nucleotide Excision Repair System: Possible Explanation for Neurodegeneration in Xeroderma Pigmentosum Patients

Joyce T. Reardon;Tadayoshi Bessho;Hsiang Chuan Kung;Philip H. Bolton

447
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Joyce T. Reardon University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dongping Zhong The Ohio State University

John E. Hearst University of California, Berkeley

John B. Hogenesch Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Jack D. Griffith University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Paul Modrich Duke University

William K. Kaufmann AsystBio (United States)

John-Stephen Taylor Washington University in St. Louis

Jerard Hurwitz Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Yun Li University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

External Links

Wikipedia of Aziz Sancar Personal website of Aziz Sancar

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