Seven researchers at Lancaster have been included in a list of the world’s most influential academics, according to rankings released by Clarivate.

Each individual to make the list has demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field of research, having authored multiple ‘Highly Cited’ papers which rank in the top one percent by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade. The list is built from citation activity and refined by drawing upon expert judgement and qualitative analysis by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).

Lancaster University is widely respected for research, education and engagement that is transforming lives, communities, practice and thinking across the globe.

Working on important challenges, from food production, entrepreneurship and conservation to AI and ecosystems, Lancaster’s Highly Cited Researchers are making a difference, both in academia and in the world.

In total 6,636 individual researchers from institutions in 59 countries and regions have been named Highly Cited Researchers 2024.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Rebecca Lingwood said: “Lancaster researchers continue to lead the way on the global stage through their dedication, hard work and outstanding calibre of research. It is wonderful to see our colleagues featured in this prestigious list and making such an impact.”

Professor Elizabete Carmo-Silva is Professor of Crop Physiology at the Lancaster Environment Centre. Her background is in plant physiology and biochemistry with a focus on the regulation of carbon assimilation during photosynthesis. She leads a research team focused on Rubisco regulation in crops species, particularly wheat and cowpea. Her research programme aims to understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning responses to dynamic environments and to improve the sustainability and resilience of crop production in current and future climates.

Professor Christina Hicks leads work on fisheries governance and conservation, nutrition from fisheries, and food justice with a focus on East and West Africa. A previous recipient of the prestigious Leverhulme Prize and the Gill Memorial Award from the Royal Geographical Society, she is an interdisciplinary social scientist and marine conservationist who examines the interactions between people and their environments. Professor Hicks is a professor within the Political Ecology group at Lancaster University’s Environment Centre.

Peter Atkinson, Executive Dean of Lancaster University’s Faculty of Science and Technology, is a Distinguished Professor of Spatial Data Science in the Lancaster Environment Centre. Professor Atkinson's research involves the application of space-time statistics and geostatistics, machine learning and AI, and dynamic numerical modelling, to Earth observation and other spatio-temporal data, to answer a wide range of inter-disciplinary science questions. Professor Atkinson has published around 400 peer-reviewed international scientific journal articles on these topics, and authored or edited nine books. He has led or co-led around 50 research projects and is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science of Remote Sensing.

Professor Nick Graham is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and a Chair in Marine Ecology based in Lancaster University’s Environment Centre. His research tackles the challenges facing coral reef ecosystems, using large scale ecological and social-ecological approaches to understand and better manage climatic impacts and human use. He is also an adjunct professor at James Cook University, Australia.

Professor Alfredo De Massis , Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Business at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano in Italy, Lancaster University Management School and IMD. He has been Director of the School's Centre for Family Business, and is involved in collaboration and scientific advisory activities by offering intellectual contributions within the Wild Chair in Family Business at the International Institute for Management Development.

Professor Stephen Long of the University of Illinois and a Visiting Professor of Crop Sciences at Lancaster University is also included in this year’s list, along with Professor Pedram Ghamisi, Head of Machine Learning Group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and Visiting Professor at Lancaster Environment Centre.

David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate said: “The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at Lancaster University whose significant and broad influence in their fields translates to impact in their research community. Their pioneering innovations contribute to a healthier, more sustainable and secure world. These researchers’ achievements strengthen the foundation of excellence and innovation that drives societal progress.”

To find out more about this league table go to the Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list.