University academics achieve global recognition for leading research

Five of the University of Auckland’s leading researchers have had their work recognised with inclusion in the 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list.

Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are one in 1,000. Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, Professor Frank Bloomfield congratulated them on their achievements. “Each has made significant contributions in their field and has had real impact, nationally and internationally.”

Clarivate recognised 6,868 individuals with 7,131 awards from more than 1,300 institutions in 61 countries and regions for 2025. In total 12 New Zealand researchers feature in the 2025 list. To be selected, each of the researchers has authored multiple papers which rank in the top one percent by citation for their field and publication year, in the Web of Science citation database.

Highly Cited Researchers demonstrate significant and broad influence in their fields of research. Citation activity is not the sole selection indicator. The list, based on citation data, is then refined using other quantitative metrics, qualitative analysis and expert judgement.

This small fraction of the global researcher population contributes disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge and contributing to innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and which drive societal impact.

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland researchers in the 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list are:

Professor Andrew Allan, Faculty of Science

Professor Allan holds dual roles, as a professor of plant science and as a lead researcher at the public research organisation, the Bioeconomy Science Institute. He has worked on the genes that decide the colour of apples, kiwifruit and berries, boosting both health and novelty to our diets. He is currently working on a six-year Endeavour-funded project: ‘The flowering crisis: confronting a changing climate’s threat to New Zealand’s tree crops’.  

 Professor Virginia Braun, Faculty of Science

Professor Braun is a psychologist specialising in gender, sexuality and health. Her paper on thematic analysis, co-authored with Associate Professor Victoria Clarke of the University of West England Bristol, was the third ranked paper of the 21st century according to an analysis by Nature. Their paper outlines how thematic analysis can be applied to interpret data in a broad range of disciplines. Braun received the Marsden Medal in 2021, acknowledging her outstanding contribution to science.

Adjunct Professor Edward Gane, MNZM, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

Gane has made an outstanding contribution in the fields of hepatology and transplant medicine. He led drug trials to develop an anti-viral that can cure 95 percent of patients with chronic Hepatitis C and is now working on developing a finite cure for patients with chronic Hepatitis B. 

Dr Kevin Trenberth, CNZM, Faculty of Science

Dr Trenberth is an honorary  academic in the Department of Physics and a Distinguished Scholar at the National Center of Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He was lead author of the 1995, 2001 and 2007 Scientific  Assessment of Climate Change report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  

Dr Ziyun Wang, Faculty of Science

Dr Wang is a computational chemist specialising in theoretical catalysis and machine learning. His research group is at the forefront of exploring surface reactions in electrocatalysis, with a particular focus on carbon dioxide conversion to fuels and green hydrogen production from water. This work not only advances the understanding of elementary steps and reaction mechanisms but also pioneers new avenues in renewable energy storage.