Meet Abhay Kumar Pandey, Indian researcher named among world’s top 2% scientists

Image courtesy: Facebook/@Abhay Kumar Pandey

Dr Abhay Kumar Pandey, a senior mycologist at the Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Jorhat, Assam, has been named among the world’s Top 2% Scientists for the fourth consecutive year.

His research focuses on the health of tea plants, including the use of beneficial microorganisms to control fungal diseases that affect tea crops. According to details he shared on Facebook, Pandey is ranked 1,195 among more than 2 lakh researchers worldwide in the field of Plant Biology and Botany. His work is relevant to tea-growing regions such as Assam and North Bengal, where crop diseases can affect plant health and growers’ livelihoods. Reacting to the recognition in a Facebook post, Pandey wrote, “I am deeply honored to be listed for the fourth consecutive year, among the top 2% of the world’s highly-cited researchers, based on criteria determined by Stanford University and Elsevier (USA).

Thanks to all my well-wishers for their support.”The Stanford-Elsevier list uses citation-based indicators to assess the impact of researchers’ published work. Inclusion reflects a researcher’s performance under these measures; it is not a direct ranking of every aspect of scientific contribution.

Research focuses on tea plant diseases and biological control

Pandey completed his PhD in postharvest pathology of pigeon pea seeds at Kumaun University, Nainital, in 2012.

Pandey works as a senior mycologist at the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, run by the Tea Research Association (TRA) in Jorhat.

His research examines microbial biocontrol agents found in the tea ecosystem and how they act against fungal pathogens that cause diseases in tea plants. He also studies plant-pathogen interactions in tea crops. Biological control involves using living organisms or their products to manage pests and disease-causing organisms.

In agriculture, research in this area can help identify alternatives or additions to conventional disease-management methods.

Pandey’s work focuses on understanding how such microbial agents function in the tea ecosystem.His research career has also included work with the World Vegetable Center in South Asia, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. These roles involved biological control and host-plant resistance. Pandey completed his PhD in postharvest pathology of pigeon pea seeds at Kumaun University, Nainital, in 2012.

According to his professional biography, he has authored more than 60 research papers and review articles in peer-reviewed journals.

His earlier honours include the Prof. O.P. Mall Gold Medal in Mycology and Plant Pathology, awarded by the Indian Botanical Society in 2012. In 2020, he was named a Fellow of the Indian Botanical Society.

What is the Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list?

The World’s Top 2% Scientists database is prepared by researchers associated with Stanford University and published by Elsevier.

It uses citation records from Scopus and a composite citation score, known as the c-score, to assess the influence of researchers’ work. According to the methodology described for the database, the indicators include total citations, the h-index, co-authorship and authorship position.

The assessment covers 22 broad scientific fields and 174 sub-fields. The 2026 edition uses citation data available up to August 1, 2026.

IISc leads Indian institutions in the 2026 career-long list

Pandey’s recognition comes as thousands of researchers affiliated with Indian institutions feature in the 2026 career-long list. According to figures reported by a TOI report, the list includes 3,898 researchers associated with 1,185 Indian institutions. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has the highest number of researchers in this edition, with 139. It is followed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi with 114, IIT Kharagpur with 97, IIT Madras with 81 and IIT Bombay with 73.

Other institutions with significant representation include IIT Roorkee, with 62 researchers; IIT Kanpur, with 55; Jadavpur University, with 48; Banaras Hindu University, with 44; and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, with 40. The University of Delhi has 38 researchers, while IIT Guwahati has 37.