World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Nicholas D. Spencer

Nicholas D. Spencer

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Materials Science
Switzerland
2022

D-Index & Metrics

Discipline name D-Index World Ranking Current World Ranking National Ranking Current National Ranking Publications Citations
Materials Science 100 1066 1018 13 13 486 31817

Nicholas D. Spencer publications per year

The chart shows the history of publications by Nicholas D. Spencer between 1979 and 2025, highlighting the no. of papers published in each year and offering an overview of the publication velocity of this scholar. Nicholas D. Spencer published across 47 years, from 1979 to 2025, averaging 11.3 papers a year. Output peaked at 41 publications in 2019. 7 of the 531 publications appeared in the last two years.

No. of publications
10 20 30 40
Bar chart. Horizontal axis: year, 1979 to 2025. Vertical axis: number of publications, 0 to 41. Peak 41 publications in 2019. 1979: 1 publication 1980: 0 publications 1981: 4 publications 1982: 6 publications 1983: 1 publication 1984: 0 publications 1985: 1 publication 1986: 1 publication 1987: 2 publications 1988: 5 publications 1989: 8 publications 1990: 9 publications 1991: 7 publications 1992: 1 publication 1993: 2 publications 1994: 1 publication 1995: 1 publication 1996: 8 publications 1997: 7 publications 1998: 9 publications 1999: 10 publications 2000: 12 publications 2001: 12 publications 2002: 23 publications 2003: 16 publications 2004: 8 publications 2005: 18 publications 2006: 14 publications 2007: 15 publications 2008: 21 publications 2009: 15 publications 2010: 15 publications 2011: 23 publications 2012: 22 publications 2013: 27 publications 2014: 28 publications 2015: 24 publications 2016: 18 publications 2017: 18 publications 2018: 18 publications 2019: 41 publications 2020: 24 publications 2021: 17 publications 2022: 7 publications 2023: 4 publications 2024: 5 publications 2025: 2 publications
1979 2025

531 publications in total across all disciplines

View publications per year as a table
Nicholas D. Spencer: publications per year, 1979 to 2025
Year Publications
1979 1
1980 0
1981 4
1982 6
1983 1
1984 0
1985 1
1986 1
1987 2
1988 5
1989 8
1990 9
1991 7
1992 1
1993 2
1994 1
1995 1
1996 8
1997 7
1998 9
1999 10
2000 12
2001 12
2002 23
2003 16
2004 8
2005 18
2006 14
2007 15
2008 21
2009 15
2010 15
2011 23
2012 22
2013 27
2014 28
2015 24
2016 18
2017 18
2018 18
2019 41
2020 24
2021 17
2022 7
2023 4
2024 5
2025 2
Total 531
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Nicholas D. Spencer publication distribution in Materials Science in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Materials Science in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Nicholas D. Spencer sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
200 400 600 800
Bar chart with 57 bars. Horizontal axis: publications, 50–69 to 1,163+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 891. Most scientists, 891, have 190–209 publications. The last bar groups every scientist with 1,163 publications or more. The highlighted bar, 470–489 publications, is where this scientist sits. 50–69 publications: 28 scientists 70–89 publications: 152 scientists 90–109 publications: 356 scientists 110–129 publications: 487 scientists 130–149 publications: 723 scientists 150–169 publications: 835 scientists 170–189 publications: 850 scientists 190–209 publications: 891 scientists 210–229 publications: 862 scientists 230–249 publications: 766 scientists 250–269 publications: 726 scientists 270–289 publications: 665 scientists 290–309 publications: 593 scientists 310–329 publications: 537 scientists 330–349 publications: 477 scientists 350–369 publications: 440 scientists 370–389 publications: 356 scientists 390–409 publications: 321 scientists 410–429 publications: 256 scientists 430–449 publications: 246 scientists 450–469 publications: 216 scientists 470–489 publications: 212 scientists 490–509 publications: 174 scientists 510–529 publications: 194 scientists 530–549 publications: 162 scientists 550–569 publications: 131 scientists 570–589 publications: 111 scientists 590–609 publications: 103 scientists 610–629 publications: 99 scientists 630–649 publications: 77 scientists 650–669 publications: 92 scientists 670–689 publications: 56 scientists 690–709 publications: 53 scientists 710–729 publications: 53 scientists 730–749 publications: 38 scientists 750–769 publications: 52 scientists 770–789 publications: 43 scientists 790–809 publications: 38 scientists 810–829 publications: 34 scientists 830–849 publications: 25 scientists 850–869 publications: 18 scientists 870–889 publications: 20 scientists 890–909 publications: 24 scientists 910–929 publications: 27 scientists 930–949 publications: 20 scientists 950–969 publications: 17 scientists 970–989 publications: 10 scientists 990–1,009 publications: 16 scientists 1,010–1,029 publications: 13 scientists 1,030–1,049 publications: 12 scientists 1,050–1,069 publications: 9 scientists 1,070–1,089 publications: 8 scientists 1,090–1,109 publications: 7 scientists 1,110–1,129 publications: 9 scientists 1,130–1,149 publications: 2 scientists 1,150–1,162 publications: 5 scientists 1,163+ publications: 100 scientists
50–69 publications 1,163+

This scientist: 486 publications — 85th percentile

85% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 1,163 publications or more.

View publications distribution as a table
Number of Materials Science scientists by publication count, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 12,847 ranked scientists.
Publications Scientists This scientist
50–69 28
70–89 152
90–109 356
110–129 487
130–149 723
150–169 835
170–189 850
190–209 891
210–229 862
230–249 766
250–269 726
270–289 665
290–309 593
310–329 537
330–349 477
350–369 440
370–389 356
390–409 321
410–429 256
430–449 246
450–469 216
470–489 212 486
490–509 174
510–529 194
530–549 162
550–569 131
570–589 111
590–609 103
610–629 99
630–649 77
650–669 92
670–689 56
690–709 53
710–729 53
730–749 38
750–769 52
770–789 43
790–809 38
810–829 34
830–849 25
850–869 18
870–889 20
890–909 24
910–929 27
930–949 20
950–969 17
970–989 10
990–1,009 16
1,010–1,029 13
1,030–1,049 12
1,050–1,069 9
1,070–1,089 8
1,090–1,109 7
1,110–1,129 9
1,130–1,149 2
1,150–1,162 5
1,163+ 100
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Nicholas D. Spencer D-index placement in Materials Science in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Materials Science scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Nicholas D. Spencer sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
200 400 600
Bar chart with 64 bars. Horizontal axis: D-Index, 40–41 to 165+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 667. Most scientists, 667, have 52–53 D-Index. The last bar groups every scientist with 165 D-Index or more. The highlighted bar, 100–101 D-Index, is where this scientist sits. 40–41 D-Index: 211 scientists 42–43 D-Index: 450 scientists 44–45 D-Index: 612 scientists 46–47 D-Index: 612 scientists 48–49 D-Index: 598 scientists 50–51 D-Index: 657 scientists 52–53 D-Index: 667 scientists 54–55 D-Index: 621 scientists 56–57 D-Index: 597 scientists 58–59 D-Index: 610 scientists 60–61 D-Index: 587 scientists 62–63 D-Index: 606 scientists 64–65 D-Index: 533 scientists 66–67 D-Index: 490 scientists 68–69 D-Index: 469 scientists 70–71 D-Index: 378 scientists 72–73 D-Index: 421 scientists 74–75 D-Index: 359 scientists 76–77 D-Index: 323 scientists 78–79 D-Index: 299 scientists 80–81 D-Index: 230 scientists 82–83 D-Index: 210 scientists 84–85 D-Index: 195 scientists 86–87 D-Index: 203 scientists 88–89 D-Index: 175 scientists 90–91 D-Index: 175 scientists 92–93 D-Index: 142 scientists 94–95 D-Index: 121 scientists 96–97 D-Index: 117 scientists 98–99 D-Index: 107 scientists 100–101 D-Index: 88 scientists 102–103 D-Index: 85 scientists 104–105 D-Index: 68 scientists 106–107 D-Index: 62 scientists 108–109 D-Index: 57 scientists 110–111 D-Index: 45 scientists 112–113 D-Index: 49 scientists 114–115 D-Index: 50 scientists 116–117 D-Index: 34 scientists 118–119 D-Index: 38 scientists 120–121 D-Index: 37 scientists 122–123 D-Index: 29 scientists 124–125 D-Index: 28 scientists 126–127 D-Index: 24 scientists 128–129 D-Index: 33 scientists 130–131 D-Index: 28 scientists 132–133 D-Index: 21 scientists 134–135 D-Index: 20 scientists 136–137 D-Index: 23 scientists 138–139 D-Index: 17 scientists 140–141 D-Index: 12 scientists 142–143 D-Index: 17 scientists 144–145 D-Index: 21 scientists 146–147 D-Index: 13 scientists 148–149 D-Index: 11 scientists 150–151 D-Index: 14 scientists 152–153 D-Index: 13 scientists 154–155 D-Index: 9 scientists 156–157 D-Index: 10 scientists 158–159 D-Index: 7 scientists 160–161 D-Index: 4 scientists 162–163 D-Index: 4 scientists 164 D-Index: 3 scientists 165+ D-Index: 98 scientists
40–41 D-Index 165+

This scientist: 100 D-Index — 92nd percentile

92% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 165 D-Index or more.

View D-Index distribution as a table
Number of Materials Science scientists by D-index, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 12,847 ranked scientists.
D-Index Scientists This scientist
40–41 211
42–43 450
44–45 612
46–47 612
48–49 598
50–51 657
52–53 667
54–55 621
56–57 597
58–59 610
60–61 587
62–63 606
64–65 533
66–67 490
68–69 469
70–71 378
72–73 421
74–75 359
76–77 323
78–79 299
80–81 230
82–83 210
84–85 195
86–87 203
88–89 175
90–91 175
92–93 142
94–95 121
96–97 117
98–99 107
100–101 88 100
102–103 85
104–105 68
106–107 62
108–109 57
110–111 45
112–113 49
114–115 50
116–117 34
118–119 38
120–121 37
122–123 29
124–125 28
126–127 24
128–129 33
130–131 28
132–133 21
134–135 20
136–137 23
138–139 17
140–141 12
142–143 17
144–145 21
146–147 13
148–149 11
150–151 14
152–153 13
154–155 9
156–157 10
158–159 7
160–161 4
162–163 4
164 3
165+ 98
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Research.com Recognitions

  • 2022 - Research.com Materials Science in Switzerland Leader Award

Overview

Nicholas D. Spencer is affiliated with ETH Zurich in Switzerland and works primarily in the fields of Engineering and Materials Science. Their research contributions encompass several specialized subfields, including Surfaces, Coatings and Films, Organic Chemistry, Mechanics of Materials, Atomic and Molecular Physics and Optics, and Mechanical Engineering.

Spencer's work focuses on multiple interconnected topics such as Polymer Surface Interaction Studies, Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization, Adhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions, Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications, Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications, Lubricants and Their Additives, and Tribology and Wear Analysis.

Recent notable publications authored or co-authored by Spencer include:

  • Exploring the roles of roughness, friction and adhesion in discontinuous shear thickening by means of thermo-responsive particles, 2021, Nature Communications
  • Surface-Initiated Photoinduced ATRP: Mechanism, Oxygen Tolerance, and Temporal Control during the Synthesis of Polymer Brushes, 2020, Macromolecules
  • Oxygen Tolerant and Cytocompatible Iron(0)-Mediated ATRP Enables the Controlled Growth of Polymer Brushes from Mammalian Cell Cultures, 2020, Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • Oxygen inhibition of free-radical polymerization is the dominant mechanism behind the "mold effect" on hydrogels, 2021, Soft Matter
  • Topological Polymer Chemistry Enters Materials Science: Expanding the Applicability of Cyclic Polymers, 2020, ACS Macro Letters

Spencer frequently collaborates with several researchers, including Shivaprakash N. Ramakrishna (12 joint publications), Edmondo M. Benetti (8 joint publications), Rok Simič (8 joint publications), Joydeb Mandal (6 joint publications), and Lucio Isa (6 joint publications).

Their research is regularly published in venues such as Tribology Letters, Langmuir, Soft Matter, arXiv (Cornell University), and the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reflecting engagement with journals covering tribology, surface science, and polymer chemistry.

In addition to journal publications, Spencer has contributed to book literature with the publication titled More from the Cutting Edge of Tribology expected from World Scientific in 2025.

Best Publications

  • A comparative study of protein adsorption on titanium oxide surfaces using in situ ellipsometry, optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance/dissipation

    F.F Hook;J. Voros;M. Rodahl;R. Kurrat

  • Poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) layers on metal oxide surfaces: Attachment mechanism and effects of polymer architecture on resistance to protein adsorption

    Gregory L. Kenausis;Janos Vörös;Donald L. Elbert;Ningping Huang

  • Poly(l-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) Layers on Metal Oxide Surfaces: Surface-Analytical Characterization and Resistance to Serum and Fibrinogen Adsorption

    Ning Ping Huang;Roger Michel;Janos Voros;Marcus Textor

  • Systematic study of osteoblast and fibroblast response to roughness by means of surface-morphology gradients

    Tobias P. Kunzler;Tanja Drobek;Martin Schuler;Nicholas D. Spencer

  • Nanoparticle printing with single-particle resolution

    Tobias Kraus;Tobias Kraus;Laurent Malaquin;Heinz Schmid;Walter Riess

  • Optical grating coupler biosensors.

    J Vörös;J.J Ramsden;G Csúcs;I Szendrő

  • Surface Characterization of Implant Materials c.p. Ti, Ti-6Al-7Nb and Ti-6Al-4V With Different Pretreatments

    C Sittig;M Textor;N D Spencer;M Wieland

  • The relationship between skin function, barrier properties, and body-dependent factors.

    A.K. Dąbrowska;F. Spano;S. Derler;Christian Adlhart

  • Covalent Attachment of Cell-Adhesive, (Arg-Gly-Asp)-Containing Peptides to Titanium Surfaces

    Shou-Jun Xiao;Marcus Textor;Nicholas D. Spencer;Hans Sigrist

  • Biotin-Derivatized Poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol): A Novel Polymeric Interface for Bioaffinity Sensing

    Ning-Ping Huang;Janos Vörös;Susan M. De Paul;Marcus Textor

  • Iron single crystals as ammonia synthesis catalysts: Effect of surface structure on catalyst activity

    N. D. Spencer;R. C. Schoonmaker;G. A. Somorjai

  • Influence of epidermal hydration on the friction of human skin against textiles.

    LC Lutz-Christian Gerhardt;LC Lutz-Christian Gerhardt;V Strässle;A Lenz;ND Spencer

  • Effects of ionic strength and surface charge on protein adsorption at PEGylated surfaces.

    Stéphanie Pasche;Janos Vörös;Hans J. Griesser;Nicholas D. Spencer

  • Polyionic coatings in analytic and sensor devices

    Jeffrey A. Hubbell;Marcus Textor;Donald L. Elbert;Stephanie Finken

  • Structural Chemistry of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Octadecylphosphoric Acid on Tantalum Oxide Surfaces

    Marcus Textor;Laurence Ruiz;Rolf Hofer;Antonella Rossi

  • Alkyl Phosphate Monolayers, Self-Assembled from Aqueous Solution onto Metal Oxide Surfaces

    R. Hofer;M. Textor;N. D. Spencer

  • Probing resistance to protein adsorption of oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated self-assembled monolayers by scanning force microscopy

    K. Feldman;G. Hahner;N. D. Spencer;P. Harder

  • Comparative investigation of the surface properties of commercial titanium dental implants. Part I: chemical composition

    C. Massaro;P. Rotolo;F. De Riccardis;E. Milella

  • Surface-chemical and -morphological gradients

    Sara Morgenthaler;Christian Zink;Nicholas D Spencer

  • Sweet, Hairy, Soft, and Slippery

    Seunghwan Lee;Nicholas D. Spencer

Frequent Co-Authors

Antonella Rossi
Antonella Rossi University of Cagliari
Marcus Textor
Marcus Textor ETH Zurich
Wilfred T. Tysoe
Wilfred T. Tysoe University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Edmondo M. Benetti
Edmondo M. Benetti Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
Janos Vörös
Janos Vörös ETH Zurich
Lucio Isa
Lucio Isa ETH Zurich
Jeffrey A. Hubbell
Jeffrey A. Hubbell New York University
Tobias Kraus
Tobias Kraus Leibniz Association
Richard M. Lambert
Richard M. Lambert University of Cambridge
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski Carnegie Mellon University

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