Standing before eager young writers, scientists, artists and leaders, George C. Schatz addressed north country graduates during a pre-pandemic ceremony eight years ago. That spring day, the theoretical chemist was presented with an honorary doctorate from Clarkson University, his alma mater. âForty-one years ago,â he told the Clarkson class of 2012, âI sat where you are now today and I wondered, âwhat is the future going to bring?ââ Now nearly 50 years since his own Clarkson graduation, Mr. Schatz was named this year to an updated ranking of the worldâs leading chemists. Compiled by data scientists for Academic Influence â which publishes metric-based lists of colleges and educators â the latest top chemists âhave significantly impacted the academic discipline of chemistryâ between 2010 and 2020.