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ACU experts receive global recognition

More than 30 Australian Catholic University (ACU) experts have been named in the top two per cent of scientists globally.

The 2025 Stanford University/ Elsevier Global Researcher list includes 35 leading academics from ACU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Arts, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, and Faculty of Law and Business.

The prestigious list identifies the top two per cent of researchers worldwide based on standardised citation metrics and provides international recognition of the impact of their work in advancing knowledge and shaping scientific communities.

Academics are celebrated for their significant influence in their respective areas of scientific research in the categories of career-long and single year impact.

ACU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professor Abid Khan welcomed the latest rankings as a testament to the work of ACU experts.

“It is once again pleasing to see the high-calibre work of ACU’s established and emerging industry-leading experts celebrated on a national and global scale,” he said.

"As a community, we collectively strive for excellence at ACU, and this global recognition of our academic discipline leaders shows that the research we conduct across our disciplines is high-quality, impactful, and helping to advance knowledge in vital fields of study to Australia and the world.”

Among the top performers, Professor Richard M. Ryan, of ACU’s Institute for Positive Psychology and Education (IPPE), was ranked 11 globally in the single year category and claimed the top spot nationally for the career-long list. Fellow IPPE scholars Professor Herbert W. Marsh and Professor Reinhard H. Pekrun were ranked 162 and 211 in the single year list globally.

In the national career-long list, Professor Marsh, and Professor James F. Sallis, of the Faculty of Health Sciences, were also among the top 10.

Fellow ACU academics also recognised by the Stanford rankings were Professor Philip D. Parker, Professor Suzanne Chambers, Professor Johnmarshall Reeve, Professor Chris C. Lonsdale, Professor Kathy A. Mills, Professor Joseph V. Ciarrochi, Associate Professor Steven Lewis, Associate Professor Jessica Holloway, Professor Susan Edwards, Professor Jiesi Guo, Professor Alex Yeung, Professor Theresa Dicke, Professor Laura Scholes, Professor Vince Geiger, Professor Susan Broomhall, Professor Paul Giles, Professor Louise Burke, Professor Ester Cerin, Professor Shona Halson, Professor John Hawley, Professor Kim Foster, Associate Professor Bridget F. Pratt, Professor Elizabeth McInnes, Associate Professor Joel Anderson, Professor David A. Opar, Professor Bruce E. Kemp, Dr Alannah K.A. McKay, Associate Professor Jonathon J.S. Weakly, Professor Sandy Middleton, Professor Bryan Stanley Turner, and Associate Professor Md Akhtaruzzaman.

Professor Khan paid tribute to those recognised and acknowledged others involved in ACU’s impactful research.

“My sincerest congratulations to all those celebrated in the rankings and to the teams that have no doubt supported them in achieving this significant recognition,” he said.