Dr. José María Rey Benayas, Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science at UFRO, is part of the World´s Top 2% Scientists Ranking, which lists the most influential scientists in the world.

Stanford University, one of the best universities in the world, created the study called “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators”, which leads to the ranking of 2% of the best scientists in the world, according to their scientific productivity. The latest version of this ranking also listed Dr. José María Rey Benayas, Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science at the university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), who receives this important international recognition thanks to his extensive experience in the field of Ecosystem Restoration.

Regarding this important achievement, Dr. Rey Benayas explains that, for him, this feels like a recognition of his long academic career in which he has always set the highest standards for himself. “There is no doubt that my ties to UFRO and the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science are part of the reasons I achieved this recognition, since I have been participating in different initiatives, projects and publications with several researchers for many years already,” he commented from Spain, where he lives at the moment.

According to Dr. Adison Altamirano, the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science at UFRO, it is an honor that a professor of the Faculty is distinguished as one of the best scientists in the world. “Dr. Rey Benayas has been working with Universidad de La Frontera for more than 10 years now, maintaining a fruitful and enriching relationship,” he said, and highlighted his participation in scientific publications, postgraduate courses in the Master's Program in Natural Resource Management and the Doctoral Program in Agri-food Sciences and Environment, as well as his constant disposition to hold conferences for professionals and farmers of our region and to work on research projects.

Besides, the dean pointed out that “the contribution of Dr. Rey Benayas is essential for the development of a comprehensive vision of the activities at the Faculty's Experimental Campus Maquehue, which encourages us to develop a strategy that allows us to harmonize the production of agri-food and the conservation of the environment”.

CAREER

José María Rey Benayas is a Professor at the University of Alcalá (Spain), since 1994. He earned his Ph.D. at the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain) in 1990 and completed his postdoctoral studies at Northern Illinois University and GeoEcoArc Research (USA).

During his prolific academic career, together with colleagues from different parts of the world, he established the International Foundation for the Restoration of Ecosystems (FIRE), in order to transfer academic knowledge to society; a project that also led to the establishment of FIRE-Chile, which was established in alliance with UFRO.

He has been collaborating with Chile since 2001, thus contributing to the scientific development of the country, through research projects and the training of researchers, of which most of them have established themselves in their fields.

He has also contributed to the training of professionals in the Master's Degree in Ecosystem Restoration. Several Chilean students attended this program and specific courses, especially at the Universidad de La Frontera.

“Apart from the academic activities, Dr. Rey Benayas is an academic with a unique vision and a great commitment to public universities, the relationship with society and the conservation of nature, which has set an example for our students and academics,” the dean concludes.

Written by: UFRO Communications Office