Three Faculty of Science researchers and a senior University of Queensland administrator are among UQ academics named in the top 1 per cent of most highly cited researchers in the world for 2015.
They are (alphabetically):
- Professor Christine Beveridge of the School of Biological Sciences and Affiliated Professor, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation - highly cited in the category, plant & animal science.
- Professor Bhesh Bhandari of the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences - agricultural sciences.
- Professor Philip Hugenholtz, Director of the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and an affiliate Professor, UQ Diamantina Institute, and Affiliate Professorial Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience - biology & biochemistry.
- University Provost and Senior Vice-President Professor Gao Qing (Max) Lu is highly cited in two categories - chemistry and materials science.
The academics have been named Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers 2015.
This represents some of world’s most influential scientific minds.
Only 3000 researchers earned this distinction globally by writing the greatest number of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Papers.
Thomson Reuters said the researchers were most cited for their subject field and year of publication, earning them the mark of exceptional impact.
The Faculty of Science researchers were quick to praise their colleagues.
Professor Beveridge said her citation recognised the discovery of the new plant hormone strigolactone and its role in plant development; and a recent finding demonstrating the role of sugars in shoot branching.
“I would like to thank present and past lab members for their highly fruitful efforts and publications,” she said.
“It is a credit to a team that worked hard, worked smart and produced important papers for the field. I think we can keep it up with the exciting new fronts we are taking now.”
Professor Bhandari said the citation recognised contributions to the global community in food science and technology research.
“This award reflects that the research undertaken by my ‘Food Materials and Engineering Research Group’ at UQ is at cutting-edge, world class standard,” he said.
“I am extremely pleased with the outcome and would like to thank my students, post-doctoral fellows and colleagues who are also part of my research and publications.”
Professor Hugenholtz, who returned to Australia from the US in 2010, said the citations reflect the quality of research going on at UQ in microbial genomics.
“I feel fortunate to be engaged in exciting and productive science with my colleagues at the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics and beyond,” he said.
Other UQ researchers listed as Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers 2015 are:
- Professor Matthew Brown, Director of the UQ Diamantina Institute, Affiliate Professor Queensland Brain Institute, Affiliate Professorial Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience – molecular biology & genetics.
- Professor David Paterson, Director, UQ Centre for Clinical Research – pharmacology & toxicology.
- Professor Peter Visscher of the Queensland Brain Institute and the UQ Diamantina Institute – molecular biology & genetics.
- Professor Korneel Rabaey, who joined Ghent University, Belgium in 2011, from UQ’s Advanced Water Management Centre, was also highly cited in the category, environment/ecology.
