Impressive showing for Liggins researchers in global impact list

The annual top two percent list, compiled by Professor John Ioannidis of  Stanford University in partnership with academic publisher Elsevier, aims to recognise researchers who have made a significant impact in their field.

Liggins academics featured on the list are: Professor Jane Harding, Professor Caroline Crowther, Professor Frank Bloomfield, Professor Mark Vickers, Professor Peter Gluckman and Professor Elwyn Firth.

The ranking is available for both career-long impact and single-year performance, offering insights into both long-term contribution and recent achievements. All six of the academics listed above were recognised in both categories.

Liggins Institute Director Justin O’Sullivan says the Institute’s performance this year is well-deserved.

"On a global scale we’re a small institute, but the work that we do here has a significant impact right across the world – whether that’s in pregnancy and child health, healthy ageing, or the long-term consequences of early life events on health and disease. 

"It’s fantastic to see the important work of our researchers acknowledged in this way,” he says.

The 2024 Stanford Elsevier list includes more than 200,000 researchers worldwide. The top ten tertiary institutions are dominated by North American universities. Harvard Medical School ranked first with 1,203 researchers in this year’s list.

Professor Ioannidis developed the Stanford Elsevier database as a response to the use and misuse of citation metrics. This is the seventh iteration of the Top Two Percent of Scientists list. 

Overall, the Top Two Percent of Scientists list includes 289 academics from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.