Leaderboards/Origins and Evolution of Life

Origins and Evolution of Life

Last updated July 7, 2026

Rising Stars

New and hot

Rising Stars Researchers

1
Stuart M. Marshall
University of Glasgow
2
Iris B. A. Smokers
Radboud University Nijmegen
3
A. S. Sharma
University of British Columbia
4
Alan Ianeselli
Yale University
5
Dylan T. Holden
Purdue University West Lafayette
6
Jessica L. E. Wimmer
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
7
Michael G. Howlett
University of Oxford
8
Tuğçe Beyazay
Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung
9
Stefan Borsley
University of Manchester
10
Tanaya Bose
Weizmann Institute of Science

Rising Stars Papers

1
How Droplets Can Accelerate Reactions─Coacervate Protocells as Catalytic Microcompartments
Accounts of Chemical Research|2024
127 cit.
2
Molecular Ratchets and Kinetic Asymmetry: Giving Chemistry Direction
Angewandte Chemie International Edition|2024
106 cit.
3
Breaking down microdroplet chemistry
Science|2024
27 cit.
4
Selective Ion Binding and Uptake Shape the Microenvironment of Biomolecular Condensates
Journal of the American Chemical Society|2025
25 cit.
5
Mechanisms of ionization and of chemical reactions in charged microdroplets
Chemical Science|2025
24 cit.
6
A programmable hybrid digital chemical information processor based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction
Nature Communications|2024
16 cit.
7
Phase‐Separated Droplets Can Direct the Kinetics of Chemical Reactions Including Polymerization, Self‐Replication and Oscillating Networks
ChemSystemsChem|2024
15 cit.
8
Membrane Transport, Molecular Machines, and Maxwell's Demon
ChemSystemsChem|2024
11 cit.
9
Quantification of Biomolecular Condensate Volume Reveals Network Swelling and Dissolution Regimes during Phase Transition
Biomacromolecules|2024
10 cit.
10
Membrane Transport, Molecular Machines, and Maxwell's Demon
ChemSystemsChem|2024
6 cit.

Emerging Leaders

Gaining momentum

Emerging Leaders Researchers

1
Shuo Hu
Donghua University
2
Hannes Mutschler
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
3
Norikazu Ichihashi
Systems Biology Institute
4
Philippe Nghe
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
5
T.‐Y. Dora Tang
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
6
Jonas Feldmann
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
7
Joana C. Xavier
Imperial College London
8
M. Saad Bhamla
Georgia Institute of Technology
9
S. M. Cox
Duke University
10
Xiaotian Ma
Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry

Emerging Leaders Papers

1
Cell-Free Gene Expression Dynamics in Synthetic Cell Populations
ACS Synthetic Biology|2022
79 cit.
2
Ultrafast reversible self-assembly of living tangled matter
Science|2023
65 cit.
3
Evolutionary transition from a single RNA replicator to a multiple replicator network
Nature Communications|2022
63 cit.
4
Directional takeoff, aerial righting, and adhesion landing of semiaquatic springtails
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|2022
44 cit.
5
Small-molecule autocatalytic networks are universal metabolic fossils
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences|2022
37 cit.
6
Programmable synthetic cell networks regulated by tuneable reaction rates
Nature Communications|2022
35 cit.
7
In Vitro Transcription/Translation-Coupled DNA Replication through Partial Regeneration of 20 Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases
ACS Synthetic Biology|2023
31 cit.
8
Ribozyme activity modulates the physical properties of RNA–peptide coacervates
eLife|2023
30 cit.
9
Effect of Temperature and Material Flow Gradients on Mechanical Performances of Friction Stir Welded AA6082-T6 Joints
Materials|2022
28 cit.
10
Transfer RNA Synthesis-Coupled Translation and DNA Replication in a Reconstituted Transcription/Translation System
ACS Synthetic Biology|2022
27 cit.

Current Senior Leaders

Established & currently active

Current Senior Leaders Researchers

1
Jack W. Szostak
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2
John D. Sutherland
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
3
Kenso Soai
Waseda University
4
Stanley L. Miller
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
5
James J. Collins
Broad Institute
6
David W. Deamer
University of California, Santa Cruz
7
Peter Schuster
Unknown
8
Donna G. Blackmond
Scripps Research Institute
9
William Martin
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
10
Stephen Mann
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Current Senior Leaders Papers

1
In vitro selection of RNA molecules that bind specific ligands
Nature|1990
9.7k cit.
2
Construction of a genetic toggle switch in Escherichia coli
Nature|2000
4.4k cit.
3
A Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions
Science|1953
3.5k cit.
4
Characterization of individual polynucleotide molecules using a membrane channel
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|1996
3.3k cit.
5
A Common Mechanism of Cellular Death Induced by Bactericidal Antibiotics
Cell|2007
3k cit.
6
Fast folding and comparison of RNA secondary structures
Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly|1994
2.3k cit.
7
A Deep Learning Approach to Antibiotic Discovery
Cell|2020
2.2k cit.
8
Higher‐Order Organization by Mesoscale Self‐Assembly and Transformation of Hybrid Nanostructures
Angewandte Chemie International Edition|2003
1.8k cit.
9
A principle of natural self-organization
Die Naturwissenschaften|1977
1.7k cit.
10
Noise in eukaryotic gene expression
Nature|2003
1.7k cit.

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