The Group of Eight (Go8), which represents Australia’s leading research-intensive universities, and with seven of its eight members in the world’s top 100 universities, has an ethos of commitment to excellence; embracing quality students and researchers, and developing leaders in their fields for Australia, and internationally.
“The Go8 is therefore exceptionally proud to have this determination to pursue quality in everything it does reflected in the prestigious 2019 list of highly cited researchers (HiCi) which was released this week by the Web of Science Group,” says Vicki Thomson Go8 Chief Executive.
This list identifies global scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the past decade. These highly cited papers rank in the top one per cent of citations for a chosen field or fields and year in Web of Science. These researchers are the ‘influencers’.
The Go8 has 162 HiCi researchers listed in 2019, 12 more than in the previous year. “That 162 comprises 65 per cent of Australia’s HiCi university researchers, and more than the entire French university system,” said Ms Thomson. “We especially congratulate the University of Melbourne which, with 34 researchers listed, leads the Go8 cohort.”
Ms Thomson said listings such as that of HiCi researchers do not come without strong commitment to delivering the highest quality. “Having researchers of this quality is vital to the Go8 maintaining its position of having more than 99.9 per cent of its research ERA- rated as world class or above.
‘It is also the commitment to excellence that sees our research partnerships and their researchers highly sought after by the US, the EU and China. Research delivers a strong economic future for Australia with its invaluable IP and that again goes back to maintaining the quality displayed in the Web of Science listing of HiCi researchers. The Go8 thanks those researchers for what their commitment delivers for every Australian,” said Ms Thomson.