News article
Sussex academics past and present amongst world’s most influential scholars in Highly Ranked Scholar list
Academics past and present from across the University and the Institute of Development Studies have been recognised in the recently-released ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar listings. The ScholarGPS rankings place the top scholars worldwide, identifying researchers whose cumulative publication achievements and citation impact distinguish them as global leaders in their fields. Citation rankings such as ScholarGPS are widely used indicators of research influence, showing how often and how broadly a scholar’s work is taken up by other researchers, policymakers, and practitioners around the world.
In terms of lifetime institutional rankings, the University of Sussex performs strongly across a range of disciplines. Sussex is ranked number 1 in the world for Sociotechnical Systems and Migration Studies. The University also ranks 29th in the world for Economics, 32nd for Geography, 36th for Music, 42nd for Social Sciences, and 51st globally for Psychology, reflecting the breadth and depth of research excellence across our academic community.
The University of Sussex Business School is celebrating an impressive showing in the listings, with multiple faculty members recognised among the world’s most influential scholars across economics, sustainability, energy policy, and climate-related research.
Here are some of the University’s notable scholars from the listings:
Professor Peter Newell, Professor of International Relations in the Faculty of Social Sciences has achieved a lifetime listing of number 3 for energy transition. Peter is a specialist in the politics and political economy of environment and development, and is the Environmental Sustainability theme lead in the Sussex School for Progressive Futures.
Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy at Science Policy Research Unit, and Advisory Director, the Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration at the Business School, is in the top 0.05% of scholars worldwide. He is highly ranked in multiple areas, securing impressive global positions both for his lifetime body of work and recent research impact. His broad influence spans energy transitions, low-carbon economies, energy security, sociotechnical systems, renewable energy and more - with several number 1s (including low-carbon economy, energy transition and energy security) and top-rank‑ positions in specialist categories for 2025.
Professor Richard S. J. Tol, FREcon MAE, a world-leading environmental economist based in our Department of Economics, continues to command global recognition. Ranked number 1 for Economic Impact Analysis and among the top 100 economists worldwide in the ScholarGPS listings, his extensive work on the economics of climate change and environmental policy has informed academic scholarship and policy debates internationally.
Professor Felix Creutzig has been named number 1 Climate Change Mitigation (Lifetime) by ScholarGPS. Professor of Innovation and Policy Acceleration, and Co-Chair of the Bennett Institute, his work sits at the intersection of economics, climate policy, and social sciences, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach to tackling one of our planet’s most urgent challenges. He also ranks 16th globally for Climate Change based on impact over the past five years, highlighting the continued influence and relevance of his research in shaping both academic discourse and real-world climate solutions.
Many further academics from across all our Faculties have been recognised in the Highly Ranked Scholar listings, including Professor Andy Clark from the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities who also ranks highly globally in Arts and Humanities, as does Professor Dave Goulson from the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine, for Life Sciences. Professor Emeritus Gerard Delanty has a lifetime ranking of 48th globally for Sociology, and Professor Lesley Fallowfield from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine) is ranked 51st for Oncology. Professor Anil Seth from the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine also made the list, with a lifetime number 11 for Consciousness (number 5 in the past five years).
Professors Mick Moore and Ian Scoones, from our partners at the Institute of Development Studies, located on the University of Sussex campus, are lifetime number 1 globally in development studies and livelihood respectively.
The longevity of the research of many distinguished Sussex academics is reflected in the listings, with citations and influence lasting long after their deaths. Professor Colin Eaborn, who passed away in 2004, was referred to as the ‘Father of Chemistry’ at Sussex and tops the global lifetime list for Organometallic Chemistry.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil said: “These outstanding rankings reflect the global relevance, policy influence, and interdisciplinary strength of the University's research. They reaffirm Sussex’s role as a world-leading hub for scholarship that tackles the defining economic and societal challenges of our time, from energy transitions to climate change mitigation. I look forward to seeing the work of our highly ranked and wider academic community continue to shape research, policy, and practice on the global stage.”
See the full University of Sussex profile on the ScholarGPS website.