Five Lancaster University researchers have been listed among the world’s most influential academics, in rankings released by Clarivate.

The annual list identifies global research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field of research.

Each researcher selected has authored multiple ‘Highly Cited’ papers, which rank in the top one per cent by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science Core Collection over the past 11 years.

This list is based on citation data and then refined using other quantitative metrics, as well as qualitative analysis and expert judgement, to identify individuals whose work has had a genuine, global influence on their fields.

Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.

Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Rebecca Lingwood said: “It is wonderful to see colleagues recognised in this prestigious list and making such an impact on the global stage. Lancaster academics continue to lead the way through their hard work, dedication and outstanding research, and I would like to extend huge congratulations to all.”

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 who demonstrate significant and broad influence in their fields. They exemplify excellence in their research as well as integrity in their publication and citation practices. These researchers continue to shape the future of science, technology and academia globally and deliver innovation that drives societal progress.”

Lancaster’s Highly Cited researchers for 2025 are:

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

Professor Nick Graham, 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, and understand the role of cross-ecosystem connections in driving resilience.

Distinguished Professor of Ecology at Lancaster Environment Centre, Professor Richard Bardgett CBE, a soil ecologist exploring how soils and their biodiversity regulate the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems and their response to global change. Currently serving on the NERC Council and Defra’s Scientific Advisory Council, he has previously served as President of the British Ecological Society and was elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a Member Academia Europaea for his pioneering contributions to soil ecology. In 2023 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by King Charles III for services to soil ecology and climate change science.

Meanwhile Professor Alfredo De Massis, a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Business at the D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara in Italy, Lancaster University Management School and IMD, is also on the list. 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.

Also included in this year’s list is Professor Pedram Ghamisi, Head of Responsible AI at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and Visiting Professor at Lancaster Environment Centre.

The late Distinguished Professor Steve Long, who was Visiting Professor at Lancaster Environment Centre, is once again included in the prestigious list. Steve was a pioneering scientist in the field of plant photosynthesis, in a distinguished career that saw him elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013. In the words of his colleagues, Steve was a force of nature and a force for nature.