Above: Psychology professors Dr. Sherman Lee and Dr. Timothy Pressley (pictured) are new to the list.
Read time:
Three Christopher Newport University researchers have been identified as among the world’s most influential scholars and scientists in a new edition of an annual ranking compiled by Stanford University and the analytics firm Elsevier.
Psychology professors Dr. Sherman Lee and Dr. Timothy Pressley are new to the list. Chemistry professor Dr. Tarek Abdel-Fattah has previously been recognized. All three were ranked by Stanford among the top 2% of researchers globally based on their academic publications and citation metrics. The authors of the annual study analyze the community of more than six million scientists worldwide.
“This is a prestigious honor for Dr. Abdel-Fattah, Dr. Lee and Dr. Pressley, and for Christopher Newport University,” said Provost Dr. Quentin Kidd. “Our students have the unique opportunity to conduct research side-by-side with prominent scientists, including three of the most influential in the world.”
Abdel-Fattah is the Lawrence J. Sacks Endowed Professor of Chemistry and the CNU director of the Applied Research Center at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News. His focus in chemistry is on nanotechnology and its uses in the realms of sustainable materials in nanoscale for environmental remediation and energy. Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a near-atomic scale to produce new structures, materials and devices. Abdel-Fattah has been included in the ranking every year since 2020, and was also the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Faculty Awards in Virginia, awarded by the State Council of Higher Education for VIrginia (SCHEV).
Lee teaches courses in the psychology of personality and the psychology of death, dying and bereavement. He often co-authors articles with his students who play an active role in his research lab. With more than 100 publications, Lee is on the American Psychological Association’s expert advisory list for the subject of grief and sits on the editorial boards for the Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics and Death Studies.
Lee’s research in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic received widespread attention and had a significant impact among mental health professionals. He developed a number of influential mental health screeners to identify those suffering from the psychological effects of living through a pandemic.
Pressley leads courses in research methods, educational psychology, and classroom assessment for the psychology department and the Master of Arts in Teaching Program. A former elementary school teacher, his research focuses on the lives of teachers and supporting their well-being. Recently, Pressley has published two books with Guilford Publishing; has published in leading educational journals, such as Educational Researcher; and is currently working with local public school divisions to support teacher well-being.
At the height of the pandemic, Pressley used Lee’s mental health screener to measure the stress and anxiety levels experienced by teachers. More recently, with the help of students, he launched a research project to gauge teachers' thoughts and well-being, both during COVID-19 and in its aftermath.
Beyond their individual success, Lee and Pressley support each other’s research endeavors, enriching their individual projects through shared insights and joint efforts to improve mental health outcomes and educational environments.