World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
99
Citations
39208
World Ranking
1320
National Ranking
72

David J. Wales publication distribution in Chemistry in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Chemistry in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where David J. Wales sits on this spectrum.

61–80 publications: 66 scientists 81–100 publications: 302 scientists 101–120 publications: 623 scientists 121–140 publications: 918 scientists 141–160 publications: 1,218 scientists 161–180 publications: 1,350 scientists 181–200 publications: 1,344 scientists 201–220 publications: 1,281 scientists 221–240 publications: 1,216 scientists 241–260 publications: 1,100 scientists 261–280 publications: 979 scientists 281–300 publications: 939 scientists 301–320 publications: 764 scientists 321–340 publications: 643 scientists 341–360 publications: 628 scientists 361–380 publications: 522 scientists 381–400 publications: 459 scientists 401–420 publications: 397 scientists 421–440 publications: 327 scientists 441–460 publications: 270 scientists 461–480 publications: 265 scientists 481–500 publications: 252 scientists 501–520 publications: 201 scientists 521–540 publications: 185 scientists 541–560 publications: 148 scientists 561–580 publications: 148 scientists 581–600 publications: 132 scientists 601–620 publications: 114 scientists 621–640 publications: 104 scientists 641–660 publications: 91 scientists 661–680 publications: 92 scientists 681–700 publications: 73 scientists 701–720 publications: 57 scientists 721–740 publications: 54 scientists 741–760 publications: 67 scientists 761–780 publications: 45 scientists 781–800 publications: 46 scientists 801–820 publications: 39 scientists 821–840 publications: 32 scientists 841–860 publications: 36 scientists 861–880 publications: 29 scientists 881–900 publications: 26 scientists 901–920 publications: 24 scientists 921–940 publications: 14 scientists 941–960 publications: 23 scientists 961–980 publications: 28 scientists 981–1,000 publications: 15 scientists 1,001–1,020 publications: 29 scientists 1,021–1,040 publications: 12 scientists 1,041–1,060 publications: 19 scientists 1,061–1,080 publications: 12 scientists 1,081–1,100 publications: 6 scientists 1,101–1,120 publications: 8 scientists 1,121–1,140 publications: 12 scientists 1,141–1,160 publications: 5 scientists 1,161–1,180 publications: 6 scientists 1,181–1,200 publications: 14 scientists 1,201–1,220 publications: 7 scientists 1,221–1,240 publications: 2 scientists 1,241–1,260 publications: 6 scientists 1,261–1,280 publications: 4 scientists 1,281–1,294 publications: 6 scientists 1,295+ publications: 100 scientists
61 publications 1,295+

This scientist: 499 publications — 88th percentile

88% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 1,295 publications or more.

David J. Wales D-index placement in Chemistry in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Chemistry scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where David J. Wales sits on this spectrum.

40–41 D-Index: 289 scientists 42–43 D-Index: 612 scientists 44–45 D-Index: 808 scientists 46–47 D-Index: 776 scientists 48–49 D-Index: 835 scientists 50–51 D-Index: 861 scientists 52–53 D-Index: 872 scientists 54–55 D-Index: 933 scientists 56–57 D-Index: 1,051 scientists 58–59 D-Index: 930 scientists 60–61 D-Index: 882 scientists 62–63 D-Index: 834 scientists 64–65 D-Index: 731 scientists 66–67 D-Index: 775 scientists 68–69 D-Index: 683 scientists 70–71 D-Index: 646 scientists 72–73 D-Index: 561 scientists 74–75 D-Index: 501 scientists 76–77 D-Index: 437 scientists 78–79 D-Index: 388 scientists 80–81 D-Index: 354 scientists 82–83 D-Index: 292 scientists 84–85 D-Index: 275 scientists 86–87 D-Index: 254 scientists 88–89 D-Index: 235 scientists 90–91 D-Index: 185 scientists 92–93 D-Index: 192 scientists 94–95 D-Index: 155 scientists 96–97 D-Index: 163 scientists 98–99 D-Index: 125 scientists 100–101 D-Index: 105 scientists 102–103 D-Index: 105 scientists 104–105 D-Index: 112 scientists 106–107 D-Index: 88 scientists 108–109 D-Index: 68 scientists 110–111 D-Index: 69 scientists 112–113 D-Index: 65 scientists 114–115 D-Index: 79 scientists 116–117 D-Index: 61 scientists 118–119 D-Index: 44 scientists 120–121 D-Index: 37 scientists 122–123 D-Index: 40 scientists 124–125 D-Index: 33 scientists 126–127 D-Index: 26 scientists 128–129 D-Index: 34 scientists 130–131 D-Index: 35 scientists 132–133 D-Index: 25 scientists 134–135 D-Index: 27 scientists 136–137 D-Index: 17 scientists 138–139 D-Index: 16 scientists 140–141 D-Index: 20 scientists 142–143 D-Index: 20 scientists 144–145 D-Index: 15 scientists 146–147 D-Index: 9 scientists 148–149 D-Index: 9 scientists 150–151 D-Index: 16 scientists 152–153 D-Index: 11 scientists 154–155 D-Index: 9 scientists 156–157 D-Index: 3 scientists 158 D-Index: 3 scientists 159+ D-Index: 98 scientists
40 D-Index 159+

This scientist: 99 D-Index — 93rd percentile

93% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 159 D-Index or more.

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2016 - Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom
  • 2015 - Tilden Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)
  • 1992 - Meldola Medal and Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)

Overview

David J. Wales is affiliated with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Their research spans multiple fields, primarily Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Physics and Astronomy. Within these broad disciplines, their work focuses on several subfields including Molecular Biology, Atomic and Molecular Physics and Optics, Materials Chemistry, Artificial Intelligence, and Statistical and Nonlinear Physics.

The scientist's main research topics cover Protein Structure and Dynamics, Advanced Chemical Physics Studies, Machine Learning in Materials Science, Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies, Complex Network Analysis Techniques, Enzyme Structure and Function, and RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms.

Frequent collaborators include Konstantin Röder, Daniel Sharpe, Philipp Pracht, Paula C. P. Teeuwen, and Jonathan R. Nitschke.

David J. Wales has contributed to multiple publication venues, notably:

  • Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation
  • The Journal of Chemical Physics
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
  • The Journal of Physical Chemistry B
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Recent papers authored or co-authored by David J. Wales include:

  • Nested sampling for physical scientists, 2022, Nature Reviews Methods Primers
  • Exact electronic states with shallow quantum circuits from global optimisation, 2023, npj Quantum Information
  • 100 Years of the Lennard-Jones Potential, 2024, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation
  • Affinity-Selected Bicyclic Peptide G-Quadruplex Ligands Mimic a Protein-like Binding Mechanism, 2020, Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • The Energy Landscape Perspective: Encoding Structure and Function for Biomolecules, 2022, Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

Their research output has been recognized with several awards including the Fellowship of the Royal Society, United Kingdom in 2016, the Tilden Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) in 2015, and the Meldola Medal and Prize from the same society in 1992.

Best Publications

  • Global Optimization by Basin-Hopping and the Lowest Energy Structures of Lennard-Jones Clusters Containing up to 110 Atoms

    David J. Wales;Jonathan P. K. Doye

  • Theoretical studies of icosahedral C60 and some related species

    A.J. Stone;D.J. Wales

  • Energy Landscapes: Applications to Clusters, Biomolecules and Glasses

    David Wales

  • Global optimization of clusters, crystals, and biomolecules

    David J. Wales;Harold A. Scheraga

  • Introduction to cluster chemistry

    D. M. P. Mingos;David J. Wales

  • Archetypal energy landscapes

    David J. Wales;Mark A. Miller;Tiffany R. Walsh

  • Global minima of water clusters (H2O)n, n≤21, described by an empirical potential

    David J Wales;Matthew P Hodges

  • Global minima for transition metal clusters described by Sutton–Chen potentials

    Jonathan P. K. Doye;David J. Wales

  • The effect of the range of the potential on the structures of clusters

    Jonathan P. K. Doye;David J. Wales;R. Stephen Berry

  • Discrete path sampling

    David J. Wales

  • A doubly nudged elastic band method for finding transition states.

    Semen A. Trygubenko;David J. Wales

  • Concerted hydrogen-bond breaking by quantum tunneling in the water hexamer prism

    Jeremy O. Richardson;Jeremy O. Richardson;Cristóbal Pérez;Simon Lobsiger;Adam A. Reid

  • THE DOUBLE-FUNNEL ENERGY LANDSCAPE OF THE 38-ATOM LENNARD-JONES CLUSTER

    Jonathan P. K. Doye;Mark A. Miller;David J. Wales

  • Energy landscapes: from clusters to biomolecules

    David J. Wales;Jonathan P. K. Doye;Mark A. Miller;Paul N. Mortenson

  • Structural consequences of the range of the interatomic potential A menagerie of clusters

    Jonathan P. K. Doye;David J. Wales

  • Potential energy and free energy landscapes.

    David J. Wales;Tetyana V. Bogdan

  • Empirical Correlations between Thermodynamic Properties and Intermolecular Forces

    Martin S. Westwell;Mark S. Searle;David J. Wales;Dudley H. Williams

  • A Microscopic Basis for the Global Appearance of Energy Landscapes

    David J. Wales

  • Some further applications of discrete path sampling to cluster isomerization

    David J. Wales

  • Melting and freezing of small argon clusters

    David J. Wales;R. Stephen Berry

  • Energy landscapes: calculating pathways and rates

    David J. Wales

Frequent Co-Authors

Jonathan P. K. Doye
Jonathan P. K. Doye University of Oxford
R. Stephen Berry
R. Stephen Berry University of Chicago
Birgit Strodel
Birgit Strodel Forschungszentrum Jülich
Tiffany R. Walsh
Tiffany R. Walsh Deakin University
Anthony J. Stone
Anthony J. Stone University of Cambridge
Daan Frenkel
Daan Frenkel University of Cambridge
Roy L. Johnston
Roy L. Johnston University of Birmingham
Richard J. Saykally
Richard J. Saykally University of California, Berkeley
Paul L. A. Popelier
Paul L. A. Popelier University of Manchester
D. Michael P. Mingos
D. Michael P. Mingos University of Oxford

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