Eric Betzig

40.4k total citations · 28 hit papers
132 papers, 26.8k citations indexed

About

Eric Betzig is a scholar working on Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering and Molecular Biology. According to data from OpenAlex, Eric Betzig has authored 132 papers receiving a total of 26.8k indexed citations (citations by other indexed papers that have themselves been cited), including 70 papers in Biophysics, 56 papers in Biomedical Engineering and 34 papers in Molecular Biology. Recurrent topics in Eric Betzig's work include Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques (68 papers), Near-Field Optical Microscopy (39 papers) and Integrated Circuits and Semiconductor Failure Analysis (27 papers). Eric Betzig is often cited by papers focused on Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques (68 papers), Near-Field Optical Microscopy (39 papers) and Integrated Circuits and Semiconductor Failure Analysis (27 papers). Eric Betzig collaborates with scholars based in United States, China and United Kingdom. Eric Betzig's co-authors include J. K. Trautman, Michael W. Davidson, Jennifer Lippincott‐Schwartz, Harald F. Hess, George H. Patterson, Scott G. Olenych, Rachid Sougrat, O. Wolf Lindwasser, Juan S. Bonifacino and Hari Shroff and has published in prestigious journals such as Nature, Science and Cell.

In The Last Decade

Eric Betzig

126 papers receiving 26.0k citations

Hit Papers

Imaging Intracellular Fluorescent Proteins ... 1986 2026 1999 2012 2006 1992 1991 1993 2008 2.0k 4.0k 6.0k
What are hit papers?

Hit papers significantly outperform the citation benchmark for their cohort. A paper qualifies if it has ≥500 total citations, achieves ≥1.5× the top-1% citation threshold for papers in the same subfield and year (this is the minimum needed to enter the top 1%, not the average within it), or reaches the top citation threshold in at least one of its specific research topics.

  1. Imaging Intracellular Fluorescent Proteins at Nanometer Resolution
    2006 6.4k citations Eric Betzig, George H. Patterson et al. Science profile →
  2. Near-Field Optics: Microscopy, Spectroscopy, and Surface Modification Beyond the Diffraction Limit
    1992 1.3k citations Eric Betzig et al. Science profile →
  3. Breaking the Diffraction Barrier: Optical Microscopy on a Nanometric Scale
    1991 1.1k citations Eric Betzig et al. Science profile →
  4. Single Molecules Observed by Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy
    1993 924 citations Eric Betzig et al. Science profile →
  5. High-density mapping of single-molecule trajectories with photoactivated localization microscopy
    2008 884 citations Jennifer M. Gillette, George H. Patterson et al. Nature Methods profile →
  6. Rapid three-dimensional isotropic imaging of living cells using Bessel beam plane illumination
    2011 817 citations Liang Gao, Daniel E. Milkie et al. Nature Methods profile →
  7. Applying systems-level spectral imaging and analysis to reveal the organelle interactome
    2017 802 citations Wesley R. Legant, Michael W. Davidson et al. profile →
  8. Combined shear force and near-field scanning optical microscopy
    1992 698 citations Eric Betzig et al. profile →
  9. Live-cell photoactivated localization microscopy of nanoscale adhesion dynamics
    2008 660 citations Hari Shroff, Catherine G. Galbraith et al. Nature Methods profile →
  10. Near-field magneto-optics and high density data storage
    1992 571 citations Eric Betzig et al. profile →
  11. Extended-resolution structured illumination imaging of endocytic and cytoskeletal dynamics
    2015 549 citations Dong Li, Lin Shao et al. Science profile →
  12. Single-Molecule Dynamics of Enhanceosome Assembly in Embryonic Stem Cells
    2014 460 citations Bi‐Chang Chen, Wesley R. Legant et al. profile →
  13. Visualizing Intracellular Organelle and Cytoskeletal Interactions at Nanoscale Resolution on Millisecond Timescales
    2018 456 citations Daniel E. Milkie, U. Serdar Tulu et al. profile →
  14. Adaptive optics via pupil segmentation for high-resolution imaging in biological tissues
    2009 438 citations Daniel E. Milkie, Eric Betzig et al. Nature Methods profile →
  15. Near-Field Spectroscopy of the Quantum Constituents of a Luminescent System
    1994 394 citations Harald F. Hess, Eric Betzig et al. Science profile →
  16. Dual-color superresolution imaging of genetically expressed probes within individual adhesion complexes
    2007 391 citations Hari Shroff, Catherine G. Galbraith et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  17. Near-field spectroscopy of single molecules at room temperature
    1994 344 citations Eric Betzig et al. profile →
  18. Regulation of RNA granule dynamics by phosphorylation of serine-rich, intrinsically disordered proteins in C. elegans
    2014 294 citations Bi‐Chang Chen, Eric Betzig et al. eLife profile →
  19. Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM)
    1986 294 citations Eric Betzig, A. Harootunian et al. Biophysical Journal profile →
  20. Proposed method for molecular optical imaging
    1995 286 citations Eric Betzig profile →
  21. Self-Organization of the Escherichia coli Chemotaxis Network Imaged with Super-Resolution Light Microscopy
    2009 261 citations Derek Greenfield, Ann McEvoy et al. PLoS Biology profile →
  22. A Localized Wnt Signal Orients Asymmetric Stem Cell Division in Vitro
    2013 252 citations Bi‐Chang Chen, Eric Betzig et al. Science profile →
  23. Noninvasive Imaging beyond the Diffraction Limit of 3D Dynamics in Thickly Fluorescent Specimens
    2012 245 citations Liang Gao, Lin Shao et al. profile →
  24. 3D live fluorescence imaging of cellular dynamics using Bessel beam plane illumination microscopy
    2014 232 citations Liang Gao, Lin Shao et al. profile →
  25. Multidimensional traction force microscopy reveals out-of-plane rotational moments about focal adhesions
    2012 224 citations Wesley R. Legant, Lin Shao et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  26. Collection mode near-field scanning optical microscopy
    1987 223 citations Eric Betzig, M. Isaacson et al. profile →
  27. Super-resolution fluorescence near-field scanning optical microscopy
    1986 221 citations A. Harootunian, Eric Betzig et al. profile →
  28. Rapid adaptive optical recovery of optimal resolution over large volumes
    2014 198 citations Daniel E. Milkie, Jeff S. Mumm et al. Nature Methods profile →

Peers — A (Enhanced Table)

Peers by citation overlap · career bar shows stage (early→late) cites · hero ref

Name h Career Trend Papers Cites
Eric Betzig United States 67 11.9k 11.9k 7.9k 6.6k 4.7k 132 26.8k
Xiaowei Zhuang United States 95 15.5k 1.3× 8.8k 0.7× 21.2k 2.7× 4.7k 0.7× 2.3k 0.5× 196 41.2k
W. E. Moerner United States 86 9.7k 0.8× 9.5k 0.8× 8.3k 1.0× 10.9k 1.7× 7.2k 1.5× 388 30.1k
Christian Eggeling Germany 73 9.9k 0.8× 5.2k 0.4× 10.2k 1.3× 3.0k 0.5× 1.1k 0.2× 246 20.6k
Michael W. Davidson United States 65 12.0k 1.0× 6.3k 0.5× 11.7k 1.5× 2.9k 0.4× 1.1k 0.2× 204 26.3k
Taekjip Ha United States 91 7.2k 0.6× 4.6k 0.4× 22.5k 2.9× 4.3k 0.6× 2.6k 0.5× 400 32.0k
Markus Sauer Germany 80 9.6k 0.8× 4.9k 0.4× 11.2k 1.4× 2.0k 0.3× 2.1k 0.5× 402 23.1k
Watt W. Webb United States 77 14.8k 1.2× 16.1k 1.4× 14.7k 1.9× 5.2k 0.8× 2.7k 0.6× 176 40.5k
Harald F. Hess United States 45 7.0k 0.6× 4.1k 0.3× 4.9k 0.6× 4.1k 0.6× 1.2k 0.3× 99 16.6k
Winfried Denk Germany 68 10.3k 0.9× 9.4k 0.8× 7.5k 0.9× 3.0k 0.5× 2.8k 0.6× 126 29.5k
Stefan W. Hell Germany 117 29.7k 2.5× 18.0k 1.5× 17.5k 2.2× 9.0k 1.4× 3.6k 0.8× 480 51.8k

Countries citing papers authored by Eric Betzig

Since Specialization
Citations

This map shows the geographic impact of Eric Betzig's research. It shows the number of citations coming from papers published by authors working in each country. You can also color the map by specialization and compare the number of citations received by Eric Betzig with the expected number of citations based on a country's size and research output (numbers larger than one mean the country cites Eric Betzig more than expected).

Fields of papers citing papers by Eric Betzig

Since Specialization
Physical SciencesHealth SciencesLife SciencesSocial Sciences

This network shows the impact of papers produced by Eric Betzig. Nodes represent research fields, and links connect fields that are likely to share authors. Colored nodes show fields that tend to cite the papers produced by Eric Betzig. The network helps show where Eric Betzig may publish in the future.

Co-authorship network of co-authors of Eric Betzig

This figure shows the co-authorship network connecting the top 25 collaborators of Eric Betzig. A scholar is included among the top collaborators of Eric Betzig based on the total number of citations received by their joint publications. Widths of edges represent the number of papers authors have co-authored together. Node borders signify the number of papers an author published with Eric Betzig. Eric Betzig is excluded from the visualization to improve readability, since they are connected to all nodes in the network.

All Works

20 of 20 papers shown
1.
Alshaabi, Thayer, Daniel E. Milkie, Gaoxiang Liu, et al.. (2025). Fourier-based three-dimensional multistage transformer for aberration correction in multicellular specimens. Nature Methods. 22(10). 2171–2179.
2.
Liu, Gaoxiang, Frederik Görlitz, Tian-Ming Fu, et al.. (2024). Image processing tools for petabyte-scale light sheet microscopy data. Nature Methods. 21(12). 2342–2352. 13 indexed citations
3.
Wong, Kenneth Kin Lam, Tongchao Li, Tian-Ming Fu, et al.. (2023). Origin of wiring specificity in an olfactory map revealed by neuron type–specific, time-lapse imaging of dendrite targeting. eLife. 12. 7 indexed citations
4.
White, David T., Siva P. Kambhampati, Tian-Ming Fu, et al.. (2023). Nanoparticle-based targeting of microglia improves the neural regeneration enhancing effects of immunosuppression in the zebrafish retina. Communications Biology. 6(1). 534–534. 12 indexed citations
5.
Bai, Xiaofei, Chin‐Yi Chen, Wencheng Wang, et al.. (2019). Aurora B functions at the apical surface after specialized cytokinesis during morphogenesis in C. elegans. Development. 147(1). 20 indexed citations
6.
Pamula, Melissa C., Lina Carlini, Scott Forth, et al.. (2019). High-resolution imaging reveals how the spindle midzone impacts chromosome movement. The Journal of Cell Biology. 218(8). 2529–2544. 42 indexed citations
7.
Schöneberg, Johannes, Daphné Dambournet, Tsung‐Li Liu, et al.. (2019). 4D Cell Biology: Big Data Image Analytics and Lattice Light-Sheet Imaging Reveal Dynamics of Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Stem Cell-Derived Intestinal Organoids. Biophysical Journal. 116(3). 167a–167a. 2 indexed citations
8.
Azoitei, Mihai L., Denis Tsygankov, John M. Heddleston, et al.. (2019). Software for lattice light-sheet imaging of FRET biosensors, illustrated with a new Rap1 biosensor. The Journal of Cell Biology. 218(9). 3153–3160. 28 indexed citations
9.
Fritzsche, Marco, Di Li, Huw Colin‐York, et al.. (2017). Self-organizing actin patterns shape membrane architecture but not cell mechanics. Nature Communications. 8(1). 14347–14347. 94 indexed citations
10.
Fritz‐Laylin, Lillian K., Megan Riel‐Mehan, Bi‐Chang Chen, et al.. (2017). Actin-based protrusions of migrating neutrophils are intrinsically lamellar and facilitate direction changes. eLife. 6. 94 indexed citations
11.
Zhang, Xi, Mingshu Zhang, Dong Li, et al.. (2016). Highly photostable, reversibly photoswitchable fluorescent protein with high contrast ratio for live-cell superresolution microscopy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113(37). 10364–10369. 62 indexed citations
12.
Nixon‐Abell, Jonathon, Christopher J. Obara, Aubrey V. Weigel, et al.. (2016). Increased spatiotemporal resolution reveals highly dynamic dense tubular matrices in the peripheral ER. Science. 354(6311). 319 indexed citations
13.
Veltman, Douwe M., Thomas D. Williams, Gareth Bloomfield, et al.. (2016). A plasma membrane template for macropinocytic cups. eLife. 5. 128 indexed citations
14.
Aguet, François, Srigokul Upadhyayula, Raphaël Gaudin, et al.. (2016). Membrane dynamics of dividing cells imaged by lattice light-sheet microscopy. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 27(22). 3418–3435. 89 indexed citations
15.
Li, Dong, Lin Shao, Bi‐Chang Chen, et al.. (2015). Extended-resolution structured illumination imaging of endocytic and cytoskeletal dynamics. Science. 349(6251). aab3500–aab3500. 549 indexed citations breakdown →
16.
Roh‐Johnson, Minna, Gidi Shemer, Christopher D. Higgins, et al.. (2012). Triggering a Cell Shape Change by Exploiting Preexisting Actomyosin Contractions. Science. 335(6073). 1232–1235. 203 indexed citations
17.
Greenfield, Derek, Ann McEvoy, Hari Shroff, et al.. (2009). Self-Organization of the Escherichia coli Chemotaxis Network Imaged with Super-Resolution Light Microscopy. PLoS Biology. 7(6). e1000137–e1000137. 261 indexed citations breakdown →
18.
Shroff, Hari, Catherine G. Galbraith, James A. Galbraith, et al.. (2007). Dual-color superresolution imaging of genetically expressed probes within individual adhesion complexes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104(51). 20308–20313. 391 indexed citations breakdown →
19.
Betzig, Eric, George H. Patterson, Rachid Sougrat, et al.. (2006). Imaging Intracellular Fluorescent Proteins at Nanometer Resolution. Science. 313(5793). 1642–1645. 6407 indexed citations breakdown →
20.
Harootunian, A., et al.. (1984). Near-field investigation of submicrometer apertures at optical wavelengths (A). 1. 1293. 5 indexed citations

Rankless uses publication and citation data sourced from OpenAlex, an open and comprehensive bibliographic database. While OpenAlex provides broad and valuable coverage of the global research landscape, it—like all bibliographic datasets—has inherent limitations. These include incomplete records, variations in author disambiguation, differences in journal indexing, and delays in data updates. As a result, some metrics and network relationships displayed in Rankless may not fully capture the entirety of a scholar's output or impact.

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