ACU is home to some of the world's most influential academics in their fields, with six researchers recognised in the prestigious Clarivate 2025 Highly Cited Researcher awards.
The ACU academics included in the list of exceptional researchers are:
- Professor Phil Parker, Professor Reinhard Pekrun, Professor Jim Sallis (Cross Field)
- Professor Richard Ryan (Psychiatry and Psychology)
- Professor Ester Cerin, Professor Herb Marsh (Social Sciences)
The awards recognise the exceptional performance of ACU researchers who have a significant number of papers in the top 1 per cent most cited in their field and year of publication.
They are among 311 academics included on the list from Australia, which ranks fifth for most highly cited researchers in the world after the US, China, UK and Germany.
Clarivate Head of Research Analysis David Pendlebury said the annual list celebrated researchers who demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields.
"These researchers continue to shape the future of science, technology and academia globally and deliver innovation that drives societal progress," Mr Pendlebury said.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professor Abid Khan said the recognition reflected ACU's focus on research excellence.
"We are very proud to see our researchers recognised among the world's most influential in their fields," Professor Khan said.
"Being included in this list reflects the exceptional calibre, impact and global reach of their work.
"It highlights ACU's commitment to research excellence and the real contributions our academics make to advancing knowledge, fostering human flourishing and fostering an ethical future."
The Clarivate awards spotlight researchers who exemplify excellence in their research and integrity in their publication and citation practices.
This follows positive results for ACU across several rankings. Thirty-five ACU academics were named in the 2025 Stanford/Elsevier Global Researcher list, which identifies the top 2 per cent of researchers worldwide based on citation metrics. ACU ranked number one in Australia and among the top 25 globally for research quality in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and secured the top position in Australia in the latest Leiden Rankings.
