Prof. Dr. Nenad Filipović from Serbia has once again found himself on the famous list of Stanford University in the United States, where he ranked among the top 2 percent of the world’s most prominent scientists.
He spoke to Telegraf.rs about how he once again received this wonderful news, but also about his painstaking scientific work, on the basis of which he deserved to be included in this distinguished company. On this occasion, the professor compared Serbian and American universities, and thoroughly explained why he believes artificial intelligence will never be able to replace a living human being.
Professor Filipović, who was rector of the University of Kragujevac and a researcher at Harvard for ten years, and who is now a full professor at the Faculty of Engineering Sciences as well as founder and professor of the program “Sport, Health and Bioengineering” at the University of Kragujevac, told us that he was first included on Stanford’s list in 2022.
“The list has existed for years, and I appeared on it in 2022. This is now practically the fourth time I have been ranked. When it is formed, they take into account the number of papers, whether you are the first or last author, the number of invited lectures, and many other factors. Scientists are ranked not by fields, but on a scale from 1 to 10, with 100,000 scientists making up 1 percent. So, out of 10 million scientists, this University ranks the top 200,000 scientists, which is the 2 percent we are talking about,” he explains.
“A great success to be on the list at all”
“It is a huge success to be on Stanford’s list, considering the strong competition and the fact that I am an engineer. It is harder for engineers to place there, since the reality is that medical scientists and basic sciences such as biology, chemistry, and physics are more popular, they have so-called ‘impact’ factors, and their papers are much more widely read,” Professor Filipović further explains.
On this occasion, he also spoke to us about the similarities and differences between working in Serbia and at an American university such as Harvard, where he spent a decade as a researcher.
“I’ll tell you something I always share with everyone. When I came to Harvard, I was given a 3×3 office without windows, with a computer that was ten times worse than the one I used in Serbia. After just six months, I got a much better office, a better computer, and so on. So, the first impression, to be clear, was catastrophic because you are new and ‘thrown’ somewhere, and many researchers do not survive that phase. However, one must push forward and fight. Over time, the conditions were phenomenal, and I learned many useful things there. Once a week we had meetings where the head boss would question all researchers about what they were working on, how they were progressing, and the essence was that everyone had to listen to and comment on everyone else,” says Filipović.
Differences between Serbian and American students
The professor also told us about the differences between Serbian and American students, emphasizing that although our students are very talented, one word particularly describes American students—work.
“In America, they work a lot. However, the fact is that our people are talented and manage to succeed wherever they go, so we do not fall behind. The big difference is only in the way of working and that the criteria in America are much stricter,” says Professor Filipović, who also shared his opinion on the increasingly present artificial intelligence that is used in education, daily life, and even in science.
“In Kragujevac, we founded an AI program, but it is still in its early stages of development. Much more work needs to be done because AI is advancing at a great speed. For example, 7–8 years ago, those developing AI in medicine said: ‘It’s over, we no longer need radiologists, we will replace them with artificial intelligence. AI works much better.’ Which is partly true. However, what happens? AI can, of course, make mistakes in different situations. For instance, it can make mistakes if given the wrong images, then it gets confused and starts producing wrong results. And if that happens in medicine, it is catastrophic. That’s why a human must always look, check the images, review the data received, and verify that everything is correct. Man will always be the controller, he will always have to be,” says the professor.
The significance of the Stanford list
The list, known as the “Stanford list,” is the work of a team led by the renowned professor John P.A. Ioannidis. He and his colleagues created a comprehensive database that evaluates the impact of scientists based on standardized citation metrics. The list is not based on subjective selection but on rigorous analysis of data collected from the Scopus database, one of the largest global databases of scientific papers.
What is measured?
The methodology itself is complex. It is based on a combination of several key indicators, including the total number of citations, the h-index (a measure of productivity and citation impact), and a specially developed composite indicator that measures the influence of a scientist throughout their career or within a single year. The goal was to create a ranking that recognizes the most prominent scientists across more than 170 scientific fields, from medicine and physics to social sciences and engineering.
This list is regularly updated and includes the top 2 percent of scientists in the world from each field, which makes it extremely selective and prestigious. Inclusion on the list is considered a strong confirmation of the global impact of one’s work and attests to years of dedicated research and innovation.
Global impact and domestic pride
Although the list provides insight into global trends in science, it also has significant local resonance. Year after year, dozens, even hundreds, of scientists from Serbia and other countries in the region appear on the list. Their presence confirms the quality of the local scientific scene and shows that research recognized and valued at the highest global level is being conducted even in smaller environments. Many scientists from institutes and universities in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac regularly appear on this prestigious list, confirming that their work is on par with those from the most developed countries.
These rankings often serve as inspiration for younger generations and a strong incentive for investment in science. Being part of that elite group not only raises the profile of the individual but also of the institution they represent.
Of course, like every ranking system, the Stanford list has its critics. Some warn that by focusing on quantitative indicators such as citation counts, it fosters a culture of “publishing at any cost” rather than necessarily quality and depth of research. Others point out that some disciplines, despite attempts at standardization, still cannot be adequately compared.
Despite the debates, there is no doubt that the Stanford list remains one of the most important and most transparent tools for assessing scientific impact. It provides valuable insight into who the individuals are that contribute the most to the development of knowledge and the shaping of our future.
MORE TOPICS:
SERBIA WON ANOTHER MEDAL: Svetlana and Ivana Won Bronze at the European Pickleball Championship!
Source: Nauka.telegraf.rs, Foto: Privatna Arhiva