News article
Five Sussex academics among world’s most highly cited
The Clarivate Plc analytics company today (19 November) revealed its 2024 list of Highly Cited Researchers – influential researchers at universities, research institutes and commercial organisations around the world who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields.
Five University of Sussex academics are named in the 2024 list:
- Professor of Biology, Dave Goulson
- Professor of Innovation and Policy Acceleration, Felix Creutzig
- Professor of Cognitive & Computational Neuroscience, Anil Seth
- Professor of Energy Policy, Benjamin K. Sovacool
- Head of Ecological Economics and Environmental Policy at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research in Germany, and former Associate Faculty at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), Dr Florian Kern
Professor Keith Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) said: “The University of Sussex is home to some of the world’s foremost researchers, providing new ideas that transform current thinking. We believe in doing impactful research and I am delighted to see the wonderful influence Sussex academics have on their peers by being cited and so recognised for the importance of their research.”
Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for their fields and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade.
Professor Anil Seth said: “It's an honour to be listed as a Highly Cited Researcher for the fifth year in a row. All credit of course goes to my brilliant colleagues and students who did all the work. This recognition also highlights the work we've long pioneered in consciousness science, which is now embodied in the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science - a Centre of Excellence here at the University.”
Dr Florian Kern said: “I am really honoured to be included in this prestigious list for the first time. It is great to see that an interdisciplinary researcher like me who focusses on understanding and steering sustainability transitions is recognised in this way. I am also extremely grateful to all my co-authors and colleagues for their contributions."
Professor Dave Goulson said: “It is wonderful to be recognised once again, but the credit must go to the many members of my research team over the past 30 years.”
Professor Felix Creutzig said: “I am deeply honoured to be recognised as a Highly Cited Researcher, a reflection of the incredible collaborations I’ve been privileged to be part of. This milestone is not mine alone - it celebrates the vibrant community of talented researchers from institutions around the globe who inspire and challenge each other to push the boundaries of knowledge. Being part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been especially meaningful, as we strive together to address the defining challenges of our time. I’m grateful for this recognition and look forward to continuing the journey with this extraordinary global network.”
Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool said: “In an environment constantly full of well-intentioned academic critique and criticism, it’s always refreshingly nice to be recognized individually. However, no scholar works truly alone, and in this case my inclusion on the highly cited list is only possible given the wonderful grants and projects I can build on. The European Commission and UK Research and Innovation deserve particular acknowledgment for supporting my research repeatedly and significantly. Personally, I am also very pleased that my research is being built upon by others to advance the field or accelerate solutions to climate change, which cuts to the core ethos of what the Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration is all about.”
This year, 6,636 individual researchers from more than 1,200 institutions in 59 countries and regions have been named. The selection process involves evaluation and curation of data from Highly Cited Papers in trusted science and social sciences journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index, during the 11-year period 2013 to 2023.