Researchers who bridge research areas

How the score works

Each researcher is scored as topic_span × cross_ratio × log(1 + betweenness), where topic_span is the number of distinct research topics among their co-authors (with at least 2 co-authors per topic, to filter outliers), cross_ratio is the share of their collaborations that cross topic boundaries, and betweenness is the structural centrality of their position in the Arkansas co-author network. Multiplying all three rewards researchers strong on every dimension and punishes those strong on only one. Eligibility: active researcher with at least 6 co-authors, at least 3 distinct neighbor topics, and at least 5 cross-topic collaborations.

This is a structural signal on Arkansas's existing co-author graph — a description of who already bridges fields, not a prescription of who should be hired or funded.