Stellenbosch University’s Prof Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), earned global recognition through the 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list. This is the second consecutive year he has received the honour, placing him among the top 1% of researchers worldwide. Only 11 South African scientists were included in this year’s list.
Prof de Oliveira says the recognition reflects the strength of the team at CERI and the broader research environment at Stellenbosch University. It also, he notes, underscores the role of collaborative, forward-looking research in tackling pressing global health challenges.
Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers programme identifies scientists whose published work has had significant influence in their fields. To qualify, researchers must have produced multiple papers ranked among the top 1% of citations over the past 11 years, as indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. The selection combines data analysis with expert evaluation to ensure that honourees demonstrate meaningful and sustained impact.
Prof Sibusiso Moyo, SU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, says the recognition highlights the university’s strong culture of research excellence. She notes Prof de Oliveira’s influence not only through his own scientific work but also through his commitment to training emerging leaders in fields such as genomics, data science, public health, and health innovation.
In recent years, Clarivate has introduced more rigorous measures to ensure the integrity of the programme. Papers involving unusually large author groups, excessive self-citation or proven misconduct are excluded from consideration. As a result, the 2025 list is more selective than before, with over 2 400 candidates omitted for not meeting updated criteria.
This year’s analysis recognised 6 868 researchers across 60 countries, though the majority of honourees come from just a handful of nations. The concentration underscores both the competitive nature of global research and the significance of South African scientists continuing to appear on the list.