The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) had 24 of its researchers recognized among the most influential in the world, according to the 2025 ranking by the international platform Research.com. This platform evaluates scientists based on bibliometric metrics of scientific impact, such as the H-index, total citations, and indexed publications. The analysis considers data extracted from the Microsoft Academic Graph database up to November 2024 and covers 26 fields of knowledge, including researchers from over 70 countries whose scientific output has international relevance and significantly contributes to scientific advancement.
Animal and Veterinary Sciences Area
Luciana Regitano (Embrapa Southeast Livestock) – Conducts studies in Animal Genetics, with an emphasis on Genomics, mainly involved in mapping genes related to economically important traits in cattle raised under tropical conditions.
Marcos Dias (Embrapa Amapá) – Works in fish parasitology and immunology, focusing on aquaculture health and pathogen resistance.
MaurÃcio Alencar (Embrapa Beef Cattle) – Researcher in animal genetic improvement, with an emphasis on genomic assessment of productive and reproductive traits in beef cattle.
Samuel Paiva (Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology) – Works with Animal Molecular Genetics, emphasizing genetic diversity, genomics, conservation of genetic resources, molecular systematics, and genetic management of populations.
Marcos VinÃcius Silva (Embrapa Dairy Cattle) – National reference in aquaculture, with an emphasis on health, parasitology, and physiology of aquatic animals, especially fish.
Ana Carolina Chagas (Embrapa Southeast Livestock) – Specializes in Veterinary Parasitology, focusing on ticks, gastointestinal nematodes of small ruminants, phytotherapy, nano-structured formulations based on plant molecules, and strategies for selective parasitic control.
Gherman Araújo (Embrapa Dairy Cattle) – Animal scientist specializing in feed evaluation for animals, working on topics such as production in semi-arid regions, water use in ruminants, biosaline agriculture, nutrition, and xerophytic and halophyte forages.
Ecology and Evolution Area
George Brown (Embrapa Forests) – Works in ecology, with an emphasis on soil ecology, distinguished by his studies on edaphic fauna, especially earthworms, as bioindicators of environmental quality.
Marcelo Simon (Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology) – Develops research in molecular systematics, legume taxonomy, plant ecology, biodiversity conservation, and biogeography, focusing on Brazilian biomes, especially the Cerrado.
Aldicir Scariot (Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology) – Works in biodiversity conservation and management, as well as ecological restoration, with an emphasis on the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes.
Environmental Sciences Area
Joice Ferreira (Embrapa Eastern Amazon) – Conducts studies on ecosystem conservation and restoration, as well as biodiversity conservation strategies in agricultural and forest landscapes.
Mateus Batistella (Embrapa Agricultural Informatics) – Specialist in geotechnologies and environmental monitoring, working in landscape ecology, land use and cover, and developing geospatial solutions for agriculture and environmental sustainability.
Materials Science Area
Luiz Henrique Mattoso (Embrapa Instrumentation) – Leader in research on nanomaterials and biodegradable polymers applied to agriculture, including smart packaging and sustainable inputs.
Cauê Ribeiro (Embrapa Instrumentation) – Works on the synthesis of nanomaterials and advanced materials, with applications in controlled release of inputs, catalysis, and developing innovative technologies for agribusiness.
Biology and Biochemistry Area
Dario Grattapaglia (Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology) – Works in forest genomics, with a focus on the genetic improvement of species such as eucalyptus, using molecular genetics tools and bioinformatics.
Engineering and Technology Area
Daniel Corrêa (Embrapa Instrumentation) – Researcher in the field of Material Science and Engineering and Nanotechnology, focusing on polymers and nanocomposites applied to agriculture, the environment, and biotechnology.
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Plant Science and Agronomy Area
Mariangela Hungria (Embrapa Soybean) – Internationally recognized for soil biotechnology, conducting research on biological nitrogen fixation, microbial biodiversity, plant growth-promoting bacteria, inoculation technologies, microbial collections, and soil quality bioindicators.
Segundo Urquiaga (Embrapa Agrobiology) – Works in soil microbiology and sustainable production systems, focusing on biological nitrogen fixation, carbon sequestration, bioenergy, and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
Robert Boddey (Embrapa Agrobiology) – Specialist in nutrient cycling and soil organic matter dynamics, using stable isotopes to assess sustainability in tropical agroecosystems.Bruno Alves (Embrapa Agrobiology) – Develops research on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and bioenergy, with an emphasis on sustainability in agricultural systems.
Bruno Alves (Embrapa Agrobiology) – Conducts research on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and bioenergy, with a focus on the sustainability of agricultural systems.
José Ivo Baldani (Embrapa Agrobiology) – Pioneer in studies of diazotrophic bacteria associated with grasses and other crops, focusing on reducing nitrogen fertilizer use.
Veronica Reis (Embrapa Agrobiology) – Works in soil microbiology and biochemistry, emphasizing plant-microorganism interactions, biological nitrogen fixation, and nutrition of tropical grasses.
Maria Fatima Grossi-de-Sa (Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology) – A reference in plant genetic engineering and molecular biology, working on developing stress-resistant cultivars (biotic and abiotic) using tools like CRISPR/Cas and RNAi.
Valeria Euclides (Embrapa Beef Cattle) – Focuses on pasture physiology and animal production in forage systems, emphasizing grazing management, morphogenesis, and the nutritional value of new cultivars.
Brazilian scientific excellence recognized internationally
The presence of 24 Embrapa researchers in the international Research.com ranking not only highlights the excellence of their individual scientific careers but also reinforces Embrapa's strategic role as one of the leading public institutions in science and technology dedicated to innovation for tropical agriculture.
The recognition is even more significant when noting that two of the listed researchers — Maria Fatima Grossi-de-Sa and Mariangela Hungria — are coordinators of the INCT PlantStress Biotech and INCT MPCPAgro, respectively, reaffirming the scientific importance of both INCTs in promoting sustainable solutions to agricultural challenges.
In addition to them, the researcher Rogério Margis , also a member of INCT PlantStress Biotech, was similarly listed in the ranking, as well as the researcher Segundo Urquiaga who is a member of the  INCT MPCPAgro. Rogério Margis conducts research on small RNAs and non-coding RNAs in rice, soybean, and native Neotropical species, focusing on molecular mechanisms of response to abiotic stresses, the action of cysteine proteases and their inhibitors, as well as environmental proteomic and metagenomic analyses. He works in the fields of genetics and biochemistry, with an emphasis on gene expression regulation, molecular markers, and genome editing.
This collective recognition elevates EMBRAPA, along with the INCT PlantStress Biotech and INCT MPCPAgro, to the forefront of global scientific hubs committed to advancing sustainable agriculture, plant biotechnology, and ensuring food security worldwide.
Research.com – Best Scientists Rankings 2025