Ten JCU scientists have been named in an elite group of ‘highly cited’ researchers as part of a worldwide survey of the impact of academic work – double the number of JCU scientists recognised in last year’s ranking.
Citations are logged when a scientist’s work is referenced by another scientist to help build their own research.
The ratings are provided by the Web of Science Group and represent scientists who have demonstrated significant influence through publication of multiple highly cited papers during the past decade.
Fewer than 0.1 per cent of the world’s researchers achieve a place on the list.
The JCU researchers are:
Professor Andrew Baird who is using an integrated approach, including novel molecular tools, morphology and breeding trials, to explore species boundaries in the stony coral genus Acropora.
Professor David Bellwood is pioneering a new approach to coral reef research by viewing evolutionary, ecological and oceanographic evidence with a focus on functional connections.
Associate Professor David Bourne utilises citizen scientists to improve the health of degraded inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef through macroalgal removal and coral larval seeding.
Professor Sean Connolly integrates fieldwork on coral reefs with mathematical and statistical modelling to advance our understanding of the structure and dynamics of coral reefs.
Professor Terry Hughes’ research focuses on climate change and coral bleaching, and the linkages between the ecology of reefs and their importance for societies and economies.
Professor Geoff Jones’ research has focused on larval dispersal and population connectivity in marine fish populations, marine conservation biology, and the effective design of marine reserve networks, and the responses of coral reef fishes to changes in habitat structure.
Professor Bill Laurance studies land-use change in the tropics and its impacts on forest ecosystems and biodiversity. His research spans much of the tropical world, including the Amazon, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australasia.
Professor Philip Munday’s primary research focuses on understanding and predicting the impacts that climate change will have on populations and communities of marine fishes, both directly through changes in the physical environment and indirectly through effects on coral reef habitat.
Professor Morgan Pratchett is studying major disturbances on coral reefs, which cause declines in coral cover and shifts in habitat structure.
Dr Gergely Torda’s research focuses on deconstructing the molecular mechanisms by which reef-building corals adapt to changes in their environment by combining genomic and ecological data in eco-evolutionary models.
