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ACU experts in top global rankings

More than 50 Australian Catholic University (ACU) experts have been ranked among the top two per cent of academics globally in their areas of scientific research.

The prestigious 2024 Stanford University Elsevier Global Researcher list recognises researchers for their significant impact on their respective fields in the categories of career-long and single year impact.

The top-cited past and present ACU experts were prominent across both categories which acknowledge their long-term contributions and more recent achievements.

In the single year impact category alone, ACU's featured researchers soared from 18 in 2019 to 43 in 2024 - a 139 per cent increase.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professor Abid Khan said the rankings demonstrated the calibre of research at ACU and recognised the contributions of academics across the university.

"These results reflect ACU's research excellence and the impact our researchers are making in their fields to tackle the big issues facing society," Professor Khan said.

"We strive for excellence and this global recognition is further proof that the research we do across all disciplines is high-quality, impactful, and helping to advance knowledge in vital scientific fields of study."

Among those listed, Professor Richard Ryan, of ACU's Institute for Positive Psychology & Education (IPPE) was ranked 18th globally in the single year category, and 83 in the career-long list. Professor Ryan was also featured at the top of the career-long list for Australian-based universities.

Fellow IPPE scholar Professor Herb Marsh was ranked second among Australian-based universities on the career-long list and in the top 150 globally for both the single year and career-long lists.

Health science experts Professor John A. Kanis and Professor James F. Sallis were also in the top 10 career-long rankings for Australian-based universities as well as being listed at 316 and 327 respectively in the global rankings.

In the Faculty of Education and Arts, the following academics were recognised by the Stanford University rankings: Executive Dean of Education and Arts Professor Mary Ryan, Professor Rauno Parrila, Professor Daryl Higgins, Professor Suzy Edwards, Associate Professor Steven Lewis, Associate Professor Jessica Holloway, Professor Kathy Mills, Professor Len Unsworth, Dr Feifei Han, Professor Joseph Ciarrochi, Professor Herb Marsh, Professor Johnmarshall Reeve, Associate Professor Theresa Dicke, Associate Professor Jiesi Guo, Professor Richard Ryan, Professor Reinhard Pekrun, Professor Paul Giles, Professor Bryan Turner, Professor Jack Barbalet, and Associate Professor Benjamin Moffitt. Also recognised were former ACU education researchers Professor Bob Lingard, Dr Lois Harris, Professor Alex Yeung and Associate Professor Catherine McLoughlin.

In the Faculty of Health Sciences, those listed were: Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers, Emeritus Professor John A. Kanis, Professor James F. Sallis, Professor Ester Cerin, Professor Shona Halson, Professor John Hawley, Professor David Penn, Professor Kim Foster, Associate Professor Helena Johansson, Associate Professor Anthony Barnett, Professor David Opar, Associate Professor Grant Duthie, Dr John Oldroyd, Dr Jonathon Weakley, Professor Sandy Middleton, and Professor Louise Burke. Also recognised were former ACU health researchers Professor Elizabeth McInnes, Professor Peter Wilson, Professor Maree Johnson and Dr Warren Stanton.

In the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Professor Susan Broomhall, Professor Lewis Ayres and Professor David Runia were recognised for their scientific contributions, as were ACU Deputy Provost Professor Chris Lonsdale, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Phil Parker, and Ethics Directorate Associate Professor Bridget Pratt. Also recognised were former ACU researchers Professor Sandra Jones, Professor Duncan Nulty, and the late Professor Chris Winder.

ACU congratulates all the researchers recognised in this year's list, as well as the teams that support the university's research activities.