My methodology - Looking through this list thttp://chronicle.com/article/NRC-Rankings-Overview-/124703/ and going to the website of each of the top schools. Reading the faculty bio of every single person. Writing down all the institutions/persons on a spreadsheet (later included, deadlines, admissions requirements, publications I should read etc). Going through academia.edu and typing in my research interests and seeing who came up. Talking to my professors. Thinking about what researchers I liked reading as an undergrad. Talking to grad students I had worked with.