The lists of the world’s highly cited scientists once again include AZTI researchers

AZTI once again has among its research staff the most cited scientists in their field. The list of Highly Cited Researchers published annually by Clarivate Analytics, the well-known company for the analysis and compilation of scientific publications includes Ángel Borja, AZTI’s expert in Environmental Management of Seas and Coasts, in its list once again this year.

The list includes 6,602 researchers from all over the world, including numerous Nobel Prize winners. According to Clarivate, the list helps to “identify that small fraction of the research population that contributes to pushing the frontiers of knowledge and bringing society innovations that make the world a healthier, wealthier, more sustainable and safer place”. Therefore, for the scientific community, being included in this world list is an honour and a clear international reference for the research excellence of a professional.

On the other hand, in the Elsevier (SCOPUS) list, as last year, both Angel Borja and the scientific director of AZTI Xabier Irigoien appear among the most cited in their field of research: marine biology.  Borja is ranked 89th and Irigoien 348th out of 908.

In terms of rank in Marine Biology in Spain, Ángel Borja is the most cited scientist and Xabier Irigoien the sixth.

PhD in Biological Sciences from the UPV-EHU (1984) Ángel Borja holds an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Hull (2015) and the SETAC Prize in European Environmental Education (2017).

He has been awarded for his scientific career by the Basque Government (2018) and by the International Marine Benthos Conference in Cochin, India (2019). He has worked at AZTI as a senior researcher since 1985 and was previously head of the Oceanography Department and head of the Marine Environment Area, also at AZTI. He has published more than 400 articles, chapters and books. He is one of the most cited authors in environmental ecology, with an H index of 66 (SCOPUS) and has participated in more than 100 national and European projects.

Borja works on the implementation of methods for the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, focusing on assessment methods, indicators, monitoring, integrative assessment, marine spatial planning, valuation of goods and services, and is editor and member of the editorial boards of seven international journals (Frontiers in Marine Science, Journal of Sea Research, Continental Shelf Research, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Ecological Indicators, Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, and Heliyon).

Xabier Irigoien, an international expert in marine ecology, also has a long career. He has worked at the Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC, Barcelona), the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (NERC, Plymouth) and the Southampton Oceanography Centre (NERC, Southampton). He was head of the Biological Oceanography and Living Resources section in AZTI’s Marine Research Division from 2004 to 2011, when he joined King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) as director until 2016, when he returned to AZTI.

He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal Plankton Research, editorial board of Scientific Data, associate editor of Marine Biology and Frontiers in Marine Ecology.

His projects address, from a food chain perspective, some of the challenges facing marine conservation, such as the abundance of plastics and global warming.