selected based on how many nature/science (Cell/PNAS/PLOSBio) papers you have. You could have 5 papers in lower journals where you've invented a miracle drug and never get a faculty position.
Of the members of my committee, and the chair of my former department, there are all of zero publications in Science/Nature/Cell or PLOS Biology. While often a shorthand for what you need, it's hardly a generalizable statement. These are all very good researchers, tenured, with positions at R1 universities. And all of them in fields appropriate to this particular discussion.
