World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Award Badge
Molecular Biology
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Molecular Biology

D-Index
134
Citations
72829
World Ranking
156
National Ranking
100

Ronald D. Vale publication distribution in Molecular Biology in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Molecular Biology in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Ronald D. Vale sits on this spectrum.

47–56 publications: 7 scientists 57–66 publications: 17 scientists 67–76 publications: 65 scientists 77–86 publications: 90 scientists 87–96 publications: 125 scientists 97–106 publications: 131 scientists 107–116 publications: 162 scientists 117–126 publications: 177 scientists 127–136 publications: 158 scientists 137–146 publications: 158 scientists 147–156 publications: 146 scientists 157–166 publications: 159 scientists 167–176 publications: 131 scientists 177–186 publications: 110 scientists 187–196 publications: 112 scientists 197–206 publications: 100 scientists 207–216 publications: 89 scientists 217–226 publications: 98 scientists 227–236 publications: 74 scientists 237–246 publications: 72 scientists 247–256 publications: 63 scientists 257–266 publications: 53 scientists 267–276 publications: 54 scientists 277–286 publications: 49 scientists 287–296 publications: 52 scientists 297–306 publications: 43 scientists 307–316 publications: 46 scientists 317–326 publications: 41 scientists 327–336 publications: 42 scientists 337–346 publications: 31 scientists 347–356 publications: 28 scientists 357–366 publications: 29 scientists 367–376 publications: 26 scientists 377–386 publications: 24 scientists 387–396 publications: 24 scientists 397–406 publications: 14 scientists 407–416 publications: 13 scientists 417–426 publications: 20 scientists 427–436 publications: 12 scientists 437–446 publications: 20 scientists 447–456 publications: 11 scientists 457–466 publications: 10 scientists 467–476 publications: 14 scientists 477–486 publications: 14 scientists 487–496 publications: 10 scientists 497–506 publications: 13 scientists 507–516 publications: 13 scientists 517–526 publications: 2 scientists 527–536 publications: 4 scientists 537–546 publications: 6 scientists 547–556 publications: 8 scientists 557–563 publications: 6 scientists 564+ publications: 100 scientists
47 publications 564+

This scientist: 326 publications — 84th percentile

84% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 564 publications or more.

Ronald D. Vale D-index placement in Molecular Biology in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Molecular Biology scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Ronald D. Vale sits on this spectrum.

40–41 D-Index: 36 scientists 42–43 D-Index: 101 scientists 44–45 D-Index: 115 scientists 46–47 D-Index: 121 scientists 48–49 D-Index: 118 scientists 50–51 D-Index: 130 scientists 52–53 D-Index: 106 scientists 54–55 D-Index: 116 scientists 56–57 D-Index: 113 scientists 58–59 D-Index: 129 scientists 60–61 D-Index: 120 scientists 62–63 D-Index: 105 scientists 64–65 D-Index: 131 scientists 66–67 D-Index: 95 scientists 68–69 D-Index: 97 scientists 70–71 D-Index: 106 scientists 72–73 D-Index: 83 scientists 74–75 D-Index: 89 scientists 76–77 D-Index: 77 scientists 78–79 D-Index: 70 scientists 80–81 D-Index: 73 scientists 82–83 D-Index: 60 scientists 84–85 D-Index: 48 scientists 86–87 D-Index: 45 scientists 88–89 D-Index: 50 scientists 90–91 D-Index: 31 scientists 92–93 D-Index: 51 scientists 94–95 D-Index: 43 scientists 96–97 D-Index: 38 scientists 98–99 D-Index: 39 scientists 100–101 D-Index: 41 scientists 102–103 D-Index: 29 scientists 104–105 D-Index: 33 scientists 106–107 D-Index: 35 scientists 108–109 D-Index: 20 scientists 110–111 D-Index: 38 scientists 112–113 D-Index: 19 scientists 114–115 D-Index: 28 scientists 116–117 D-Index: 13 scientists 118–119 D-Index: 23 scientists 120–121 D-Index: 16 scientists 122–123 D-Index: 15 scientists 124–125 D-Index: 11 scientists 126–127 D-Index: 21 scientists 128–129 D-Index: 7 scientists 130–131 D-Index: 13 scientists 132–133 D-Index: 14 scientists 134–135 D-Index: 17 scientists 136–137 D-Index: 9 scientists 138–139 D-Index: 8 scientists 140–141 D-Index: 16 scientists 142–143 D-Index: 7 scientists 144 D-Index: 7 scientists 145+ D-Index: 100 scientists
40 D-Index 145+

This scientist: 134 D-Index — 95th percentile

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

The last bar groups every scientist with 145 D-Index or more.

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
  • 2002 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 2001 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences

Overview

Ronald D. Vale is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco in the United States. The primary focus of their research lies within the field of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, with significant contributions in its subfields, including Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, and Physiology.

The scientist's work engages several main topics, notably:

  • Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
  • Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
  • Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
  • Erythrocyte Function and Pathophysiology
  • Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications
  • Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • CAR-T cell therapy research

Recent publications showcase a range of research interests and collaborations. Some of the notable papers include:

  • "Tuning the Antigen Density Requirement for CAR T-cell Activity," published in 2020 in Cancer Discovery
  • "CD47 Ligation Repositions the Inhibitory Receptor SIRPA to Suppress Integrin Activation and Phagocytosis," 2020, Immunity
  • "High-content imaging-based pooled CRISPR screens in mammalian cells," 2020, The Journal of Cell Biology
  • "DNA origami patterning of synthetic T cell receptors reveals spatial control of the sensitivity and kinetics of signal activation," 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Rewired signaling network in T cells expressing the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)," 2020, The EMBO Journal

Frequent coauthors in their work include:

  • Nico Stuurman
  • Nan Zhang
  • Stefan Niekamp
  • Rui Dong
  • Meghan A. Morrissey

The scientist's research has appeared repeatedly in several publication venues. The most frequent of these include:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Immunity
  • Biophysical Journal

They have been recognized by notable scientific societies, being elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002, and as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2001.

Best Publications

  • The Molecular Motor Toolbox for Intracellular Transport

    Ronald D Vale

  • Identification of a novel force-generating protein, kinesin, involved in microtubule-based motility

    Ronald D. Vale;Ronald D. Vale;Ronald D. Vale;Thomas S. Reese;Michael P. Sheetz;Michael P. Sheetz

  • The Way Things Move: Looking Under the Hood of Molecular Motor Proteins

    Ronald D. Vale;Ronald A. Milligan

  • Advanced methods of microscope control using μManager software.

    Arthur D Edelstein;Mark A Tsuchida;Nenad Amodaj;Henry Pinkard

  • Computer control of microscopes using µManager.

    Arthur Edelstein;Nenad Amodaj;Karl Hoover;Ron Vale;Ron Vale

  • T cell costimulatory receptor CD28 is a primary target for PD-1-mediated inhibition.

    Enfu Hui;Jeanne Cheung;Jing Zhu;Xiaolei Su

  • A Protein-Tagging System for Signal Amplification in Gene Expression and Fluorescence Imaging

    Marvin E. Tanenbaum;Luke A. Gilbert;Lei S. Qi;Jonathan S. Weissman

  • Circularization of mRNA by Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factors

    Sandra E. Wells;Paul E. Hillner;Ronald D. Vale;Alan B. Sachs

  • Phase separation of signaling molecules promotes T cell receptor signal transduction

    Xiaolei Su;Xiaolei Su;Jonathon A. Ditlev;Jonathon A. Ditlev;Enfu Hui;Enfu Hui;Wenmin Xing;Wenmin Xing

  • Kinesin Walks Hand-Over-Hand

    Ahmet Yildiz;Michio Tomishige;Ronald D. Vale;Paul R. Selvin

  • Movement of microtubules by single kinesin molecules

    J. Howard;A. J. Hudspeth;R. D. Vale

  • Single-molecule microscopy reveals plasma membrane microdomains created by protein-protein networks that exclude or trap signaling molecules in T cells.

    Adam D. Douglass;Ronald D. Vale

  • A structural change in the kinesin motor protein that drives motility

    Sarah Rice;Abel W. Lin;Daniel Safer;Cynthia L. Hart

  • Direct observation of single kinesin molecules moving along microtubules

    Ronald D. Vale;Takashi Funatsu;Daniel W. Pierce;Laura Romberg

  • A standardized kinesin nomenclature.

    Carolyn J. Lawrence;R. Kelly Dawe;Karen R. Christie;Don W. Cleveland

  • Crystal structure of the kinesin motor domain reveals a structural similarity to myosin.

    F.J Kull;E.P Sablin;R Lau;R.J Fletterick

  • Regulators of the cytoplasmic dynein motor.

    Julia R. Kardon;Ronald D. Vale

  • Functional genomic screen reveals genes involved in lipid-droplet formation and utilization

    Yi Guo;Tobias C. Walther;Meghana Rao;Nico Stuurman

  • RNA phase transitions in repeat expansion disorders

    Ankur Jain;Ronald D. Vale;Ronald D. Vale

  • AAA proteins. Lords of the ring.

    Ronald D. Vale

Frequent Co-Authors

Nico Stuurman
Nico Stuurman University of California, San Francisco
Gohta Goshima
Gohta Goshima Nagoya University
Robert J. Fletterick
Robert J. Fletterick University of California, San Francisco
Satyajit Mayor
Satyajit Mayor National Centre for Biological Sciences
Michael K. Rosen
Michael K. Rosen The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Michael P. Sheetz
Michael P. Sheetz The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
James A. Spudich
James A. Spudich Stanford University
Roger Cooke
Roger Cooke University of California, San Francisco
Eric M. Shooter
Eric M. Shooter Stanford University

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:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Molecular Biology, a diverse range of online degree programs can help expand career opportunities in science and health fields. Degrees such as an online child psychology degree are ideal for those who want to understand human development in addition to biological processes.

If your career interests include providing guidance or support, pursuing an online master's in counseling can offer a valuable skill set that combines biological sciences and mental health expertise.

Students passionate about clinical research or patient care might consider online clinical psychology programs to learn more about mental and behavioral conditions from a scientific perspective.

For those seeking to make a difference in community settings, a human services bachelors degree online can complement molecular biology knowledge with practical skills for advocacy and outreach roles.

Exploring interdisciplinary degrees opens new pathways in research, healthcare, and beyond—all from the flexibility of online learning.

Best Scientists Citing Ronald D. Vale

Trending Scientists