Prof. Georgina Long

Eight Australian researchers in the fields of oncology and cancer have been named as the most influential in the world in the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list.

Produced by analytics company, Clarivate, the list identifies scientists who have published papers ranking in the top 1% by citations by peers in their field over the past ten years.

Among the 6,400 Highly Cited Researchers across 21 fields of the sciences there are 482 named in the clinical sciences section and 199 in immunology research.

The Australian researchers are:

• Professor Georgina Long, (Melanoma), Melanoma Institute Australia, NSW.
• Professor Richard Scolyer, (Melanoma), Melanoma Institute Australia, NSW.
• Professor Richard Kefford, (Melanoma), Macquarie University, Sydney.
• Professor Michael Friedlander, (Gynaecological Cancer), University of NSW.
• Professor Grant McArthur, (Melanoma), Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria.
• Professor Sherene Loi, (Breast Cancer Genomics), Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria.
• Professor Ben Solomon, (Lung Cancer), Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria.
• Professor Mark J. Smyth, (Immunology in Cancer), QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland.

In a statement, Clarivate said it applauded the new Highly Cited Researchers, who ranked as the 1 in 1,000 global scientists and social scientists whose papers have demonstrated significant citation impact during the last decade.

“Identifying these key players at the leading edge of their chosen fields provides a distinct advantage for those who fund, monitor, support and advance the conduct of research, often in the face of finite resources and complex, pressing challenges,” it said.

Professor Long is featured by Clarivate as one of the examples of how highly cited research can have an impact beyond its specific field.

“To be told that I am one of the most highly cited researchers in the world blew my mind – I just did not think that was possible,” she said.

“It’s a real honour for the team at MIA and it’s good to know we are having an impact on people – that is fulfilling,” she added.

Professor Long likened cancer research to that of earlier HIV research that has impacted beyond virology to improve the understanding of  cell biology.

“With the research I do not only do I hope to impact cancer specifically, but understanding how cancer works, how it becomes resistant to drug therapies and how we can target that, we’re actually contributing a whole lot more to human health,” she said.

The rankings also show that Australia is punching above its weight in terms of research influence, with 305 highly cited researchers placing it in fifth place globally in in terms of highly cited papers, behind the US, China the UK and Germany.