Two WSL researchers rank among the most cited scientists

The WSL researchers Catherine Graham and Niklaus Zimmermann, as well as the WSL guest scientists David Frank and Peter Verburg, are again this year on the «Highly Cited Researchers 2019» list of the Web of Science Group. Each year, the Web of Science Group lists researchers with multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations globally in their field.

Catherine Graham is listed in the category «Environment and Ecology». She investigates how the spatial and temporal characteristics of habitats affect biodiversity. For example, she explores the interactions between plants and hummingbirds in the tropics. Catherine Graham heads the WSL Research Group Spatial Evolutionary Biology and is an Adjunct Professor at Stony Brook University in the USA. She is co-author of 140 scientific articles that are cited thousands of times each year.

Niklaus Zimmermann is also listed in the category «Environment and Ecology». In his research, he examines the causes of large-scale to global patterns of plant and animal biodiversity. Using empirical, dynamic and evolutionary models, he analyses and explains these patterns. Niklaus Zimmermann is a member of the WSL Directorate and Adjunct Professor at the ETH Zurich. He has co-authored around 200 scientific articles, two of which are most cited in the field of ecology and environmental science, as well as a highly regarded textbook.

Two guest scientists of the WSL, the tree ring researcher David Frank (University of Arizona) and the social scientist Peter Verburg (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), are also among the most cited researchers this year.

List of influential scientists

The list of «Highly Cited Researchers 2019» includes publications and citations from 2008 to 2018. In science, citations are an important parameter for assessing the significance of a research project and - in sum - of a researcher. This year's list contains about 6200 names in 12 different research areas. 155 of these are active in Switzerland, which is 2.5% at only 0.1% of the world population.

The WSL congratulates the distinguished scientists on their scientific achievements!