University top five in nation for research

Published on 19 November 2025
AU Research

Adelaide University academics have been recognised for their world-class work in the annual Clarivate global list of Highly Cited Researchers (HCR).

The HCR list names successful social scientists and scientists who authored multiple highly cited papers between 2014 and 2024 to rank in the top one per cent of citations. It is a measure of the number of times their research is referenced by their peers.

In its first appearance as an institution, the University has been ranked fourth amongst other Australian institutions with 27 entries, and amongst the top 50 in the world.

Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice Chancellor - Research and Innovation, Adelaide University, congratulated the academics on their achievements.

"It is particularly pleasing that many of these research areas are critical to industry, including engineering, chemistry, materials science, and plant and animal science," says Professor Middelberg.

"Adelaide University is proud to attract, retain and support some of the world's best researchers, as they seek to address issues which are critical to the advancement of society."

Highly Cited Researchers are:

In three fields of Chemistry, Environment and Ecology, and Materials Science:

Professor Shi-Zhang Qiao, School of Chemical Engineering

In two fields of Computer Science and Engineering:

Professor Peng Shi, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

Cross-field:

Dr Junnan Hao, School of Chemical Engineering

Dr Haobo Li, School of Chemical Engineering

Dr Jianfeng Mao, School of Chemical Engineering

Dr Zachary Munn, School of Public Health

Professor Timothy Olds, Emeritus Professor, School of Allied Health and Human Performance

Associate Professor Gary Owens, Future Industries Institute

Dr Jingrun Ran, School of Chemical Engineering

Professor Christopher Sweeney, Director, SA immunoGENomics Cancer Institute

Dr Pengteng Wang, School of Chemical Engineering

Professor Haolan Xu, Future Industries Institute

Chao Ye, School of Chemical Engineering

Dr Shilin Zhang, School of Chemical Engineering

Anthony Vasileff, School of Chemical Engineering

Dr Huanyu Jin, Institute for Sustainability Energy and Resources

In the field of Materials Science:

Dr Cheng Tang, School of Chemical Engineering

In the field of Chemistry:

The late Associate Professor Kenneth Davey, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Chemical Engineering

Professor Yan Jiao, Head, School of Chemical Engineering

In the field of Clinical Medicine:

Professor Prashanthan Sanders, School of Medicine

In the field of Engineering:

Professor Kannan Govindan, Centre for Sustainable Operations and Resilient Supply Chains

In the field of Plant and Animal Science:

Professor Matthew Gilliham, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space

This year’s highly cited researchers are acknowledged for the importance of their work carried out at their respective foundation institutions: the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. World-class research such as this will continue when Adelaide University opens its doors in 2026.