World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Robert E. Blankenship

Robert E. Blankenship

Last Updated:

Award Badge
Plant Science and Agronomy
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

?
Discipline name D-Index World Ranking Current World Ranking National Ranking Current National Ranking Publications Citations
Chemistry 86 2480 2236 869 730 447 38599
Plant Science and Agronomy 88 302 281 106 99 453 42216

Robert E. Blankenship publications per year

The chart shows the history of publications by Robert E. Blankenship between 1974 and 2024, highlighting the no. of papers published in each year and offering an overview of the publication velocity of this scholar. Robert E. Blankenship published across 51 years, from 1974 to 2024, averaging 9.4 papers a year. Output peaked at 24 publications in 2014. 12 of the 481 publications appeared in the last two years.

No. of publications
5 10 15 20
Bar chart. Horizontal axis: year, 1974 to 2024. Vertical axis: number of publications, 0 to 24. Peak 24 publications in 2014. 1974: 1 publication 1975: 3 publications 1976: 1 publication 1977: 3 publications 1978: 3 publications 1979: 1 publication 1980: 0 publications 1981: 2 publications 1982: 6 publications 1983: 6 publications 1984: 7 publications 1985: 4 publications 1986: 4 publications 1987: 8 publications 1988: 7 publications 1989: 4 publications 1990: 8 publications 1991: 4 publications 1992: 5 publications 1993: 7 publications 1994: 13 publications 1995: 13 publications 1996: 11 publications 1997: 5 publications 1998: 11 publications 1999: 3 publications 2000: 4 publications 2001: 12 publications 2002: 5 publications 2003: 10 publications 2004: 12 publications 2005: 17 publications 2006: 5 publications 2007: 15 publications 2008: 23 publications 2009: 17 publications 2010: 22 publications 2011: 23 publications 2012: 18 publications 2013: 17 publications 2014: 24 publications 2015: 11 publications 2016: 15 publications 2017: 21 publications 2018: 22 publications 2019: 16 publications 2020: 10 publications 2021: 7 publications 2022: 3 publications 2023: 7 publications 2024: 5 publications
1974 2024

481 publications in total across all disciplines

View publications per year as a table
Robert E. Blankenship: publications per year, 1974 to 2024
Year Publications
1974 1
1975 3
1976 1
1977 3
1978 3
1979 1
1980 0
1981 2
1982 6
1983 6
1984 7
1985 4
1986 4
1987 8
1988 7
1989 4
1990 8
1991 4
1992 5
1993 7
1994 13
1995 13
1996 11
1997 5
1998 11
1999 3
2000 4
2001 12
2002 5
2003 10
2004 12
2005 17
2006 5
2007 15
2008 23
2009 17
2010 22
2011 23
2012 18
2013 17
2014 24
2015 11
2016 15
2017 21
2018 22
2019 16
2020 10
2021 7
2022 3
2023 7
2024 5
Total 481
Download as CSV

Robert E. Blankenship publications per year - data summary

  • Robert E. Blankenship, a Plant Science and Agronomy scholar from Washington University in St. Louis, has 481 publications recorded across 51 years, from 1974 to 2024.
  • The oldest publication on record dates to 1974 and the most recent to 2024.
  • The most productive year is 2014, with 24 publications.
  • The least productive years with any output are 1974, 1976 and 1979, with 1 publication each.
  • 1 of the 51 years in the span carries no publications at all (1980).
  • The rate of publication averages 9.4 papers per year over the whole span, or 9.6 per year counting only the 50 years with at least one publication.
  • The last 5 years on the chart (2020-2024) hold 32 publications, 7% of the career total.
  • Split into equal eras - 1974-1990: 68 publications (4.0 per year); 1991-2007: 152 publications (8.9 per year); 2008-2024: 261 publications (15.4 per year).
  • Comparing the opening and closing eras, the overall trend of publication is rising.

Robert E. Blankenship publication distribution in Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Robert E. Blankenship sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
50 100 150 200 250
Bar chart with 88 bars. Horizontal axis: publications, 36–40 to 467+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 255. Most scientists, 255, have 111–115 publications. The last bar groups every scientist with 467 publications or more. The highlighted bar, 451–455 publications, is where this scientist sits. 36–40 publications: 2 scientists 41–45 publications: 7 scientists 46–50 publications: 40 scientists 51–55 publications: 58 scientists 56–60 publications: 60 scientists 61–65 publications: 107 scientists 66–70 publications: 130 scientists 71–75 publications: 153 scientists 76–80 publications: 191 scientists 81–85 publications: 199 scientists 86–90 publications: 206 scientists 91–95 publications: 218 scientists 96–100 publications: 226 scientists 101–105 publications: 227 scientists 106–110 publications: 247 scientists 111–115 publications: 255 scientists 116–120 publications: 253 scientists 121–125 publications: 233 scientists 126–130 publications: 219 scientists 131–135 publications: 201 scientists 136–140 publications: 194 scientists 141–145 publications: 176 scientists 146–150 publications: 157 scientists 151–155 publications: 147 scientists 156–160 publications: 151 scientists 161–165 publications: 159 scientists 166–170 publications: 137 scientists 171–175 publications: 128 scientists 176–180 publications: 126 scientists 181–185 publications: 98 scientists 186–190 publications: 114 scientists 191–195 publications: 100 scientists 196–200 publications: 90 scientists 201–205 publications: 71 scientists 206–210 publications: 98 scientists 211–215 publications: 70 scientists 216–220 publications: 86 scientists 221–225 publications: 61 scientists 226–230 publications: 58 scientists 231–235 publications: 53 scientists 236–240 publications: 64 scientists 241–245 publications: 39 scientists 246–250 publications: 46 scientists 251–255 publications: 51 scientists 256–260 publications: 36 scientists 261–265 publications: 44 scientists 266–270 publications: 35 scientists 271–275 publications: 30 scientists 276–280 publications: 33 scientists 281–285 publications: 35 scientists 286–290 publications: 36 scientists 291–295 publications: 26 scientists 296–300 publications: 26 scientists 301–305 publications: 31 scientists 306–310 publications: 30 scientists 311–315 publications: 21 scientists 316–320 publications: 29 scientists 321–325 publications: 14 scientists 326–330 publications: 15 scientists 331–335 publications: 15 scientists 336–340 publications: 17 scientists 341–345 publications: 15 scientists 346–350 publications: 12 scientists 351–355 publications: 17 scientists 356–360 publications: 18 scientists 361–365 publications: 12 scientists 366–370 publications: 11 scientists 371–375 publications: 6 scientists 376–380 publications: 6 scientists 381–385 publications: 11 scientists 386–390 publications: 9 scientists 391–395 publications: 10 scientists 396–400 publications: 8 scientists 401–405 publications: 4 scientists 406–410 publications: 9 scientists 411–415 publications: 11 scientists 416–420 publications: 4 scientists 421–425 publications: 7 scientists 426–430 publications: 4 scientists 431–435 publications: 3 scientists 436–440 publications: 5 scientists 441–445 publications: 8 scientists 446–450 publications: 6 scientists 451–455 publications: 7 scientists 456–460 publications: 5 scientists 461–465 publications: 6 scientists 466 publications: 2 scientists 467+ publications: 99 scientists
36–40 publications 467+

This scientist: 453 publications — 98th percentile

98% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 467 publications or more.

View publications distribution as a table
Number of Plant Science and Agronomy scientists by publication count, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 6,494 ranked scientists.
Publications Scientists This scientist
36–40 2
41–45 7
46–50 40
51–55 58
56–60 60
61–65 107
66–70 130
71–75 153
76–80 191
81–85 199
86–90 206
91–95 218
96–100 226
101–105 227
106–110 247
111–115 255
116–120 253
121–125 233
126–130 219
131–135 201
136–140 194
141–145 176
146–150 157
151–155 147
156–160 151
161–165 159
166–170 137
171–175 128
176–180 126
181–185 98
186–190 114
191–195 100
196–200 90
201–205 71
206–210 98
211–215 70
216–220 86
221–225 61
226–230 58
231–235 53
236–240 64
241–245 39
246–250 46
251–255 51
256–260 36
261–265 44
266–270 35
271–275 30
276–280 33
281–285 35
286–290 36
291–295 26
296–300 26
301–305 31
306–310 30
311–315 21
316–320 29
321–325 14
326–330 15
331–335 15
336–340 17
341–345 15
346–350 12
351–355 17
356–360 18
361–365 12
366–370 11
371–375 6
376–380 6
381–385 11
386–390 9
391–395 10
396–400 8
401–405 4
406–410 9
411–415 11
416–420 4
421–425 7
426–430 4
431–435 3
436–440 5
441–445 8
446–450 6
451–455 7 453
456–460 5
461–465 6
466 2
467+ 99
Download as CSV

Robert E. Blankenship publication distribution in Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026 - data summary

  • The chart plots the publication count of all 6,494 Plant Science and Agronomy scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026, grouped into 88 ranges running from 36–40 to 467+ publications.
  • Robert E. Blankenship, a Plant Science and Agronomy scholar from Washington University in St. Louis, records 453 publications - the 98th percentile of the discipline.
  • 98% of ranked Plant Science and Agronomy scientists score the same or lower than Robert E. Blankenship, and about 2% score higher.
  • The median of the discipline falls in the 136–140 publications range, and Robert E. Blankenship ranks above the median.
  • The most crowded range is 111–115 publications, holding 255 scientists (4% of the field).
  • 55% of the field sits in the lowest quarter of the value range (up to 141–145 publications), so the distribution is heavily right-skewed and high scores are rare.
  • The final bar has no upper bound: it groups every scientist with 467 publications or more, 99 scientists in all (2% of the field).

Robert E. Blankenship D-index placement in Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Plant Science and Agronomy scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Robert E. Blankenship sits on this spectrum.

No. of scientists
50 100 150 200 250
Bar chart with 80 bars. Horizontal axis: D-Index, 30 to 109+. Vertical axis: number of scientists, 0 to 288. Most scientists, 288, have 34 D-Index. The last bar groups every scientist with 109 D-Index or more. The highlighted bar, 88 D-Index, is where this scientist sits. 30 D-Index: 200 scientists 31 D-Index: 236 scientists 32 D-Index: 253 scientists 33 D-Index: 283 scientists 34 D-Index: 288 scientists 35 D-Index: 240 scientists 36 D-Index: 246 scientists 37 D-Index: 243 scientists 38 D-Index: 247 scientists 39 D-Index: 229 scientists 40 D-Index: 232 scientists 41 D-Index: 230 scientists 42 D-Index: 228 scientists 43 D-Index: 219 scientists 44 D-Index: 193 scientists 45 D-Index: 164 scientists 46 D-Index: 158 scientists 47 D-Index: 143 scientists 48 D-Index: 131 scientists 49 D-Index: 127 scientists 50 D-Index: 122 scientists 51 D-Index: 122 scientists 52 D-Index: 110 scientists 53 D-Index: 102 scientists 54 D-Index: 98 scientists 55 D-Index: 79 scientists 56 D-Index: 85 scientists 57 D-Index: 88 scientists 58 D-Index: 91 scientists 59 D-Index: 62 scientists 60 D-Index: 61 scientists 61 D-Index: 59 scientists 62 D-Index: 54 scientists 63 D-Index: 61 scientists 64 D-Index: 59 scientists 65 D-Index: 58 scientists 66 D-Index: 41 scientists 67 D-Index: 49 scientists 68 D-Index: 39 scientists 69 D-Index: 32 scientists 70 D-Index: 40 scientists 71 D-Index: 47 scientists 72 D-Index: 38 scientists 73 D-Index: 28 scientists 74 D-Index: 29 scientists 75 D-Index: 28 scientists 76 D-Index: 22 scientists 77 D-Index: 21 scientists 78 D-Index: 25 scientists 79 D-Index: 26 scientists 80 D-Index: 19 scientists 81 D-Index: 16 scientists 82 D-Index: 12 scientists 83 D-Index: 16 scientists 84 D-Index: 14 scientists 85 D-Index: 11 scientists 86 D-Index: 17 scientists 87 D-Index: 13 scientists 88 D-Index: 10 scientists 89 D-Index: 12 scientists 90 D-Index: 18 scientists 91 D-Index: 16 scientists 92 D-Index: 16 scientists 93 D-Index: 17 scientists 94 D-Index: 12 scientists 95 D-Index: 8 scientists 96 D-Index: 9 scientists 97 D-Index: 9 scientists 98 D-Index: 11 scientists 99 D-Index: 12 scientists 100 D-Index: 5 scientists 101 D-Index: 8 scientists 102 D-Index: 4 scientists 103 D-Index: 11 scientists 104 D-Index: 5 scientists 105 D-Index: 9 scientists 106 D-Index: 7 scientists 107 D-Index: 4 scientists 108 D-Index: 8 scientists 109+ D-Index: 99 scientists
30 D-Index 109+

This scientist: 88 D-Index — 95th percentile

95% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 109 D-Index or more.

View D-Index distribution as a table
Number of Plant Science and Agronomy scientists by D-index, Research.com 2026 ranking edition. Based on 6,494 ranked scientists.
D-Index Scientists This scientist
30 200
31 236
32 253
33 283
34 288
35 240
36 246
37 243
38 247
39 229
40 232
41 230
42 228
43 219
44 193
45 164
46 158
47 143
48 131
49 127
50 122
51 122
52 110
53 102
54 98
55 79
56 85
57 88
58 91
59 62
60 61
61 59
62 54
63 61
64 59
65 58
66 41
67 49
68 39
69 32
70 40
71 47
72 38
73 28
74 29
75 28
76 22
77 21
78 25
79 26
80 19
81 16
82 12
83 16
84 14
85 11
86 17
87 13
88 10 88
89 12
90 18
91 16
92 16
93 17
94 12
95 8
96 9
97 9
98 11
99 12
100 5
101 8
102 4
103 11
104 5
105 9
106 7
107 4
108 8
109+ 99
Download as CSV

Robert E. Blankenship D-index placement in Plant Science and Agronomy in 2026 - data summary

  • The chart plots the discipline H-index (D-index) of all 6,494 Plant Science and Agronomy scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026, grouped into 80 ranges running from 30 to 109+ D-Index.
  • Robert E. Blankenship, a Plant Science and Agronomy scholar from Washington University in St. Louis, records 88 D-Index - the 95th percentile of the discipline.
  • 95% of ranked Plant Science and Agronomy scientists score the same or lower than Robert E. Blankenship, and about 5% score higher.
  • The median of the discipline falls in the 43 D-Index range, and Robert E. Blankenship ranks above the median.
  • The most crowded range is 34 D-Index, holding 288 scientists (4% of the field).
  • 66% of the field sits in the lowest quarter of the value range (up to 49 D-Index), so the distribution is heavily right-skewed and high scores are rare.
  • The final bar has no upper bound: it groups every scientist with 109 D-Index or more, 99 scientists in all (2% of the field).

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in United States Leader Award
  • 2004 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

Robert E. Blankenship is affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis in the United States. Their research primarily falls within the field of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, with a particular focus on Molecular Biology.

The subfields of study related to their work include:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Ecology
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Major topics addressed in their research are:

  • Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
  • Algal biology and biofuel production
  • Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
  • Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies
  • Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation

Recent publications demonstrate a focus on photosynthesis, quantum effects, and structural biology. Some of the papers authored or co-authored by Robert E. Blankenship include:

  • "Photosynthesis tunes quantum-mechanical mixing of electronic and vibrational states to steer exciton energy transfer," 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Structure of cyanobacterial phycobilisome core revealed by structural modeling and chemical cross-linking," 2021, Science Advances
  • "Redox conditions correlated with vibronic coupling modulate quantum beats in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes," 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Cryo-EM structures of the air-oxidized and dithionite-reduced photosynthetic alternative complex III from Roseiflexus castenholzii," 2020, Science Advances
  • "Analysis of the Complete Genome of the Alkaliphilic and Phototrophic Firmicute Heliorestis convoluta Strain HHT," 2020, Microorganisms

Their work has appeared frequently in several publication venues, including:

  • Photosynthesis Research
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Science Advances
  • Microorganisms
  • Plant Communications

Robert E. Blankenship has collaborated often with several researchers, notably:

  • Yueyong Xin
  • Xiaoling Xu
  • Haijun Liu
  • Huimin He
  • Yang Shi

Among the distinctions received, Robert E. Blankenship was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2004.

Best Publications

  • Evidence for wavelike energy transfer through quantum coherence in photosynthetic systems

    Gregory S. Engel;Gregory S. Engel;Tessa R. Calhoun;Tessa R. Calhoun;Elizabeth L. Read;Elizabeth L. Read;Tae-Kyu Ahn;Tae-Kyu Ahn

  • Molecular mechanisms of photosynthesis

    Robert E. Blankenship

  • The Physcomitrella Genome Reveals Evolutionary Insights into the Conquest of Land by Plants

    Stefan A. Rensing;Daniel Lang;Andreas D. Zimmer;Astrid Terry

  • Comparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies and recognizing the potential for improvement.

    Robert E. Blankenship;David M. Tiede;James Barber;James Barber;Gary W. Brudvig

  • Anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria

    Robert E. Blankenship;Michael T. Madigan;Carl E. Bauer

  • Two-dimensional spectroscopy of electronic couplings in photosynthesis

    Tobias Brixner;Tobias Brixner;Jens Stenger;Jens Stenger;Harsha M. Vaswani;Harsha M. Vaswani;Minhaeng Cho

  • Long-lived quantum coherence in photosynthetic complexes at physiological temperature

    Gitt Panitchayangkoon;Dugan Hayes;Kelly A. Fransted;Justin R. Caram

  • Redesigning photosynthesis to sustainably meet global food and bioenergy demand

    Donald R. Ort;Donald R. Ort;Sabeeha S. Merchant;Jean Alric;Alice Barkan

  • The Natural History of Nitrogen Fixation

    Jason Raymond;Janet L. Siefert;Christopher R. Staples;Robert E. Blankenship

  • Evolution of Photosynthesis

    Martin F. Hohmann-Marriott;Robert E. Blankenship

  • Origin and early evolution of photosynthesis.

    Robert E. Blankenship

  • Contribution of aerobic photoheterotrophic bacteria to the carbon cycle in the ocean.

    Zbigniew S. Kolber;F. Gerald;Plumley;Andrew S. Lang

  • Expanding the solar spectrum used by photosynthesis.

    Min Chen;Robert E. Blankenship

  • The origin and evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis

    Robert E. Blankenship;Hyman Hartman

  • An obligately photosynthetic bacterial anaerobe from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent

    J. Thomas Beatty;Jörg Overmann;Michael T. Lince;Ann K. Manske

  • Early Evolution of Photosynthesis

    Robert E. Blankenship

  • Phycobilisomes Supply Excitations to Both Photosystems in a Megacomplex in Cyanobacteria

    Haijun Liu;Hao Zhang;Dariusz M. Niedzwiedzki;Mindy Prado

  • The structural basis for the difference in absorbance spectra for the FMO antenna protein from various green sulfur bacteria.

    Dale E. Tronrud;Dale E. Tronrud;Jianzhong Wen;Robert E. Blankenship

  • Whole-Genome Analysis of Photosynthetic Prokaryotes

    Jason Raymond;Olga Zhaxybayeva;J. Peter Gogarten;Sveta Y. Gerdes

  • Spectral Signatures of Photosynthesis. I. Review of Earth Organisms

    Nancy Y. Kiang;Janet Siefert;Janet Siefert;Govindjee;Robert E. Blankenship

  • Antenna Complexes from Green Photosynthetic Bacteria

    Robert E. Blankenship;John M. Olson;Mette Miller

Frequent Co-Authors

Haijun Liu
Haijun Liu Huazhong Agricultural University
Su Lin
Su Lin Arizona State University
Michael L. Gross
Michael L. Gross Washington University in St. Louis
Min Chen
Min Chen South China University of Technology
Donald A. Bryant
Donald A. Bryant Pennsylvania State University
Graham R. Fleming
Graham R. Fleming University of California, Berkeley
Pratim Biswas
Pratim Biswas University of Miami
Ryszard Jankowiak
Ryszard Jankowiak Kansas State University
Neal W. Woodbury
Neal W. Woodbury Arizona State University
Govindjee
Govindjee University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Best Scientists Citing Robert E. Blankenship

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles