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Best Female Scientists
2025
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Microbiology
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Discipline name D-Index World Ranking Current World Ranking National Ranking Current National Ranking Publications Citations
Best Female Scientists 146 178 165 108 100 1022 83713
Microbiology 148 38 35 20 17 924 84874

Rita R. Colwell publications per year

The chart shows the history of publications by Rita R. Colwell between 1960 and 2025, highlighting the no. of papers published in each year and offering an overview of the publication velocity of this scholar. Rita R. Colwell published across 66 years, from 1960 to 2025, averaging 16.2 papers a year. Output peaked at 49 publications in 1986. 28 of the 1,072 publications appeared in the last two years.

No. of publications
10 20 30 40
Bar chart. Horizontal axis: year, 1960 to 2025. Vertical axis: number of publications, 0 to 49. Peak 49 publications in 1986. 1960: 1 publication 1961: 3 publications 1962: 2 publications 1963: 1 publication 1964: 5 publications 1965: 6 publications 1966: 5 publications 1967: 3 publications 1968: 8 publications 1969: 7 publications 1970: 5 publications 1971: 2 publications 1972: 1 publication 1973: 14 publications 1974: 13 publications 1975: 27 publications 1976: 20 publications 1977: 26 publications 1978: 8 publications 1979: 17 publications 1980: 15 publications 1981: 23 publications 1982: 15 publications 1983: 17 publications 1984: 24 publications 1985: 19 publications 1986: 49 publications 1987: 21 publications 1988: 15 publications 1989: 11 publications 1990: 18 publications 1991: 14 publications 1992: 15 publications 1993: 20 publications 1994: 23 publications 1995: 17 publications 1996: 19 publications 1997: 7 publications 1998: 14 publications 1999: 14 publications 2000: 26 publications 2001: 16 publications 2002: 20 publications 2003: 14 publications 2004: 11 publications 2005: 9 publications 2006: 12 publications 2007: 8 publications 2008: 24 publications 2009: 24 publications 2010: 19 publications 2011: 14 publications 2012: 24 publications 2013: 26 publications 2014: 29 publications 2015: 21 publications 2016: 21 publications 2017: 35 publications 2018: 25 publications 2019: 31 publications 2020: 24 publications 2021: 33 publications 2022: 20 publications 2023: 14 publications 2024: 16 publications 2025: 12 publications
1960 2025

1,072 publications in total across all disciplines

View publications per year as a table
Rita R. Colwell: publications per year, 1960 to 2025
Year Publications
1960 1
1961 3
1962 2
1963 1
1964 5
1965 6
1966 5
1967 3
1968 8
1969 7
1970 5
1971 2
1972 1
1973 14
1974 13
1975 27
1976 20
1977 26
1978 8
1979 17
1980 15
1981 23
1982 15
1983 17
1984 24
1985 19
1986 49
1987 21
1988 15
1989 11
1990 18
1991 14
1992 15
1993 20
1994 23
1995 17
1996 19
1997 7
1998 14
1999 14
2000 26
2001 16
2002 20
2003 14
2004 11
2005 9
2006 12
2007 8
2008 24
2009 24
2010 19
2011 14
2012 24
2013 26
2014 29
2015 21
2016 21
2017 35
2018 25
2019 31
2020 24
2021 33
2022 20
2023 14
2024 16
2025 12
Total 1,072
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Rita R. Colwell publication distribution in Microbiology in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Microbiology in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Rita R. Colwell sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
50 100 150 200 250
Bar chart with 64 bars. Horizontal axis: publications, 55–64 to 679+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 288. Most scientists, 288, have 135–144 publications. The last bar groups every scientist with 679 publications or more. The highlighted bar, 679+ publications, is where this scientist sits. 55–64 publications: 8 scientists 65–74 publications: 29 scientists 75–84 publications: 55 scientists 85–94 publications: 112 scientists 95–104 publications: 137 scientists 105–114 publications: 190 scientists 115–124 publications: 235 scientists 125–134 publications: 234 scientists 135–144 publications: 288 scientists 145–154 publications: 265 scientists 155–164 publications: 264 scientists 165–174 publications: 253 scientists 175–184 publications: 276 scientists 185–194 publications: 190 scientists 195–204 publications: 234 scientists 205–214 publications: 208 scientists 215–224 publications: 198 scientists 225–234 publications: 155 scientists 235–244 publications: 161 scientists 245–254 publications: 160 scientists 255–264 publications: 146 scientists 265–274 publications: 139 scientists 275–284 publications: 148 scientists 285–294 publications: 115 scientists 295–304 publications: 96 scientists 305–314 publications: 88 scientists 315–324 publications: 106 scientists 325–334 publications: 65 scientists 335–344 publications: 76 scientists 345–354 publications: 64 scientists 355–364 publications: 62 scientists 365–374 publications: 65 scientists 375–384 publications: 61 scientists 385–394 publications: 34 scientists 395–404 publications: 44 scientists 405–414 publications: 36 scientists 415–424 publications: 35 scientists 425–434 publications: 29 scientists 435–444 publications: 33 scientists 445–454 publications: 34 scientists 455–464 publications: 25 scientists 465–474 publications: 26 scientists 475–484 publications: 20 scientists 485–494 publications: 19 scientists 495–504 publications: 16 scientists 505–514 publications: 17 scientists 515–524 publications: 23 scientists 525–534 publications: 14 scientists 535–544 publications: 14 scientists 545–554 publications: 18 scientists 555–564 publications: 12 scientists 565–574 publications: 7 scientists 575–584 publications: 9 scientists 585–594 publications: 9 scientists 595–604 publications: 9 scientists 605–614 publications: 7 scientists 615–624 publications: 9 scientists 625–634 publications: 7 scientists 635–644 publications: 4 scientists 645–654 publications: 5 scientists 655–664 publications: 6 scientists 665–674 publications: 7 scientists 675–678 publications: 3 scientists 679+ publications: 99 scientists
55–64 publications 679+

This scientist: 924 publications — 100th percentile

100% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 679 publications or more.

View publications distribution as a table
Number of Microbiology scientists by publication count, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 5,513 ranked scientists.
Publications Scientists This scientist
55–64 8
65–74 29
75–84 55
85–94 112
95–104 137
105–114 190
115–124 235
125–134 234
135–144 288
145–154 265
155–164 264
165–174 253
175–184 276
185–194 190
195–204 234
205–214 208
215–224 198
225–234 155
235–244 161
245–254 160
255–264 146
265–274 139
275–284 148
285–294 115
295–304 96
305–314 88
315–324 106
325–334 65
335–344 76
345–354 64
355–364 62
365–374 65
375–384 61
385–394 34
395–404 44
405–414 36
415–424 35
425–434 29
435–444 33
445–454 34
455–464 25
465–474 26
475–484 20
485–494 19
495–504 16
505–514 17
515–524 23
525–534 14
535–544 14
545–554 18
555–564 12
565–574 7
575–584 9
585–594 9
595–604 9
605–614 7
615–624 9
625–634 7
635–644 4
645–654 5
655–664 6
665–674 7
675–678 3
679+ 99 924
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Rita R. Colwell D-index placement in Microbiology in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Microbiology scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Rita R. Colwell sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
50 100 150
Bar chart with 88 bars. Horizontal axis: D-Index, 40 to 127+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 162. Most scientists, 162, have 58 D-Index. The last bar groups every scientist with 127 D-Index or more. The highlighted bar, 127+ D-Index, is where this scientist sits. 40 D-Index: 30 scientists 41 D-Index: 86 scientists 42 D-Index: 90 scientists 43 D-Index: 117 scientists 44 D-Index: 122 scientists 45 D-Index: 123 scientists 46 D-Index: 108 scientists 47 D-Index: 110 scientists 48 D-Index: 106 scientists 49 D-Index: 109 scientists 50 D-Index: 129 scientists 51 D-Index: 111 scientists 52 D-Index: 116 scientists 53 D-Index: 127 scientists 54 D-Index: 134 scientists 55 D-Index: 134 scientists 56 D-Index: 112 scientists 57 D-Index: 136 scientists 58 D-Index: 162 scientists 59 D-Index: 151 scientists 60 D-Index: 139 scientists 61 D-Index: 123 scientists 62 D-Index: 126 scientists 63 D-Index: 144 scientists 64 D-Index: 109 scientists 65 D-Index: 103 scientists 66 D-Index: 124 scientists 67 D-Index: 112 scientists 68 D-Index: 103 scientists 69 D-Index: 131 scientists 70 D-Index: 94 scientists 71 D-Index: 93 scientists 72 D-Index: 96 scientists 73 D-Index: 92 scientists 74 D-Index: 80 scientists 75 D-Index: 66 scientists 76 D-Index: 87 scientists 77 D-Index: 60 scientists 78 D-Index: 73 scientists 79 D-Index: 59 scientists 80 D-Index: 57 scientists 81 D-Index: 55 scientists 82 D-Index: 47 scientists 83 D-Index: 77 scientists 84 D-Index: 50 scientists 85 D-Index: 45 scientists 86 D-Index: 42 scientists 87 D-Index: 41 scientists 88 D-Index: 32 scientists 89 D-Index: 38 scientists 90 D-Index: 35 scientists 91 D-Index: 34 scientists 92 D-Index: 27 scientists 93 D-Index: 26 scientists 94 D-Index: 33 scientists 95 D-Index: 22 scientists 96 D-Index: 37 scientists 97 D-Index: 22 scientists 98 D-Index: 21 scientists 99 D-Index: 22 scientists 100 D-Index: 30 scientists 101 D-Index: 16 scientists 102 D-Index: 20 scientists 103 D-Index: 17 scientists 104 D-Index: 19 scientists 105 D-Index: 16 scientists 106 D-Index: 19 scientists 107 D-Index: 18 scientists 108 D-Index: 14 scientists 109 D-Index: 10 scientists 110 D-Index: 9 scientists 111 D-Index: 7 scientists 112 D-Index: 11 scientists 113 D-Index: 6 scientists 114 D-Index: 15 scientists 115 D-Index: 10 scientists 116 D-Index: 12 scientists 117 D-Index: 7 scientists 118 D-Index: 10 scientists 119 D-Index: 10 scientists 120 D-Index: 11 scientists 121 D-Index: 2 scientists 122 D-Index: 7 scientists 123 D-Index: 12 scientists 124 D-Index: 5 scientists 125 D-Index: 9 scientists 126 D-Index: 6 scientists 127+ D-Index: 95 scientists
40 D-Index 127+

This scientist: 148 D-Index — 99th percentile

99% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 127 D-Index or more.

View D-Index distribution as a table
Number of Microbiology scientists by D-index, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 5,513 ranked scientists.
D-Index Scientists This scientist
40 30
41 86
42 90
43 117
44 122
45 123
46 108
47 110
48 106
49 109
50 129
51 111
52 116
53 127
54 134
55 134
56 112
57 136
58 162
59 151
60 139
61 123
62 126
63 144
64 109
65 103
66 124
67 112
68 103
69 131
70 94
71 93
72 96
73 92
74 80
75 66
76 87
77 60
78 73
79 59
80 57
81 55
82 47
83 77
84 50
85 45
86 42
87 41
88 32
89 38
90 35
91 34
92 27
93 26
94 33
95 22
96 37
97 22
98 21
99 22
100 30
101 16
102 20
103 17
104 19
105 16
106 19
107 18
108 14
109 10
110 9
111 7
112 11
113 6
114 15
115 10
116 12
117 7
118 10
119 10
120 11
121 2
122 7
123 12
124 5
125 9
126 6
127+ 95 148
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Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Microbiology in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Microbiology in United States Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Microbiology in United States Leader Award
  • 2016 - Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
  • 2006 - US President's National Medal of Science "For her in-depth research that has contributed to a greater understanding of the ecology, physiology, and evolution of marine microbes, most notably Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of pandemic cholera, and which has elucidated critical links between environmental and human health.", Awarded by President George W. Bush in a White House ceremony on July 27, 2007.
  • 2002 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 2000 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1988 - ASM Alice C. Evans Award for Advancement of Women, American Society for Microbiology
  • 1985 - Dupont Industrial Biosciences Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology
  • 1971 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

Rita R. Colwell is affiliated with the University of Maryland, College Park in the United States. Their research spans multiple fields with a primary focus on biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and medicine. Within these broad areas, their work includes significant contributions in endocrinology, molecular biology, infectious diseases, immunology, and food science.

The primary research topics covered by their publications include:

  • Vibrio bacteria research studies
  • Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
  • Gut microbiota and health
  • Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
  • Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
  • COVID-19 epidemiological studies
  • Microbial community ecology and physiology

They have collaborated frequently with several co-authors including Anwar Huq, Kyle D. Brumfield, Antarpreet Jutla, Nur A. Hasan, and Moiz Usmani, reflecting a consistent network of scientific partnership.

Research related to their work has appeared in various publication venues, with a concentration of papers published in:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • GeoHealth
  • mBio
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Sustainability Science

Among notable recent papers authored or co-authored by Rita R. Colwell are:

  • "Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19," published in 2020 in The Lancet
  • "Microbial resolution of whole genome shotgun and 16S amplicon metagenomic sequencing using publicly available NEON data," published in 2020 in PLoS ONE
  • "Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing of Nasopharyngeal Specimens Collected from Confirmed and Suspect COVID-19 Patients," published in 2020 in mBio
  • "Microbiome signatures of progression toward celiac disease onset in at-risk children in a longitudinal prospective cohort study," published in 2021 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Environmental parameters associated with incidence and transmission of pathogenic Vibrio spp," published in 2021 in Environmental Microbiology

Rita R. Colwell has received multiple awards, including:

  • Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (2016)
  • US President's National Medal of Science (2006), awarded for research elucidating the ecology, physiology, and evolution of marine microbes, particularly Vibrio cholerae, and its links to environmental and human health
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002)
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2000)
  • ASM Alice C. Evans Award for Advancement of Women, American Society for Microbiology (1988)
  • Dupont Industrial Biosciences Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology (1985)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (1971)

Best Publications

  • Microbial degradation of hydrocarbons in the environment.

    J G Leahy;R R Colwell

  • Virioplankton: viruses in aquatic ecosystems

    KE Wommack;RR Colwell

  • Emerging Marine Diseases--Climate Links and Anthropogenic Factors

    C.D. Harvell;K. Kim;K. Kim;J.M. Burkholder;R.R. Colwell;R.R. Colwell

  • Survival strategies of bacteria in the natural environment.

    D B Roszak;R R Colwell

  • DNA sequence of both chromosomes of the cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae

    John F. Heidelberg;Jonathan A. Eisen;William C. Nelson;Rebecca A. Clayton

  • Global Climate and Infectious Disease: The Cholera Paradigm*

    Rita R. Colwell

  • Survival and viability of nonculturableEscherichia coli andVibrio cholerae in the estuarine and marine environment.

    Huai Shu Xu;N. Roberts;F. L. Singleton;R. W. Attwell

  • Effects of Global Climate on Infectious Disease: the Cholera Model

    Erin K. Lipp;Anwar Huq;Anwar Huq;Rita R. Colwell;Rita R. Colwell

  • Longitudinal analysis of microbial interaction between humans and the indoor environment.

    Simon Lax;Simon Lax;Daniel P. Smith;Daniel P. Smith;Daniel P. Smith;Jarrad Hampton-Marcell;Jarrad Hampton-Marcell;Sarah M. Owens;Sarah M. Owens

  • Viable but Non-Culturable Vibrio cholerae and Related Pathogens in the Environment: Implications for Release of Genetically Engineered Microorganisms

    R. R. Colwell;P. R. Brayton;D. J. Grimes;D. B. Roszak

  • Global spread of microorganisms by ships

    Gregory M. Ruiz;Tonya K. Rawlings;Tonya K. Rawlings;Tonya K. Rawlings;Fred C. Dobbs;Lisa A. Drake

  • Ecological relationships between Vibrio cholerae and planktonic crustacean copepods.

    A Huq;E B Small;P A West;M I Huq

  • Viable but nonculturable stage of Campylobacter jejuni and its role in survival in the natural aquatic environment

    Unknown

  • Phylogeny of the Vibrionaceae, and recommendation for two new genera, Listonella and Shewanella

    M.T. MacDonell;R.R. Colwell

  • Vibrio Parahaemolyticus and Related Halophilic Vibrios

    Sam W. Joseph;Rita R. Colwell;James B. Kaper

  • Cholera dynamics and El Niño-Southern Oscillation.

    Mercedes Pascual;Xavier Rodó;Stephen P. Ellner;Rita Colwell

  • Ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Chesapeake Bay

    Tatsuo Kaneko;Rita R. Colwell

  • Climate and infectious disease: use of remote sensing for detection of Vibrio cholerae by indirect measurement.

    Brad Lobitz;Louisa Beck;Anwar Huq;Byron Wood

  • Viable but nonrecoverable stage of Salmonella enteritidis in aquatic systems.

    D. B. Roszak;D. J. Grimes;R. R. Colwell

  • Reduction of cholera in Bangladeshi villages by simple filtration

    Rita R. Colwell;Anwar Huq;M. Sirajul Islam;K. M. A. Aziz

  • Genotypes associated with virulence in environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae.

    Irma N. G. Rivera;Irma N. G. Rivera;Jongsik Chun;Anwar Huq;Anwar Huq;R. Brad Sack

  • Human Coronavirus 229E Remains Infectious on Common Touch Surface Materials

    Sarah L. Warnes;Zoë R. Little;C. William Keevil

Frequent Co-Authors

Anwar Huq
Anwar Huq University of Maryland, College Park
Nur A. Hasan
Nur A. Hasan University of Maryland, College Park
R. Bradley Sack
R. Bradley Sack Johns Hopkins University
Jongsik Chun
Jongsik Chun Seoul National University
Russell T. Hill
Russell T. Hill University of Maryland Center For Environmental Sciences
G. Balakrish Nair
G. Balakrish Nair National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases
David A. Sack
David A. Sack Johns Hopkins University
Brian Austin
Brian Austin University of Stirling
Jacques Ravel
Jacques Ravel University of Maryland, Baltimore
Alejandro Cravioto
Alejandro Cravioto National Autonomous University of Mexico

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