Dr. Silvia de Sanjosé (IDIBELL-ICO) has been recently recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher. She leads the Infections and Cancer group, whose research focuses on the fight between viruses and hosts from an evolutionary perspective: the antiviral mechanisms which animals have developed and the antiviral strategies which have contributed to virus selection. They explore the connection between infections and cancer, as exemplified by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Their continued work over the last thirty years was crucial for the development of HPV vaccines and new virus-based cervical cancer screening tools. Dr. Francesc Xavier Bosch, from the same group, chairs the World Health Organization’s working group that aims to eliminate cervical cancer.  

The Highly Cited Researchers list, recently released in its 2019 edition, is produced by the Web of Science Group and identifies those authors whose articles published and cited during the 2008-2018 period rank in the 1% of their category by citations, demonstrating significant research influence among their peers. This year, the list includes 6009 researchers from almost 60 nations, organized in 21 research categories across all sciences and social sciences and a cross-field category that highlights the role of researchers with exceptional broad performance. 

This year’s Highly Cited Researchers list includes 116 researchers from Spain, which puts the country in the 10th position of the rank. Twenty-three Nobel Laureates have also made it into the list. The creators of the ranking highlight the surge of researchers working in Mainland China institutions, 636 researchers have been named Highly Cited Researchers compared to 482 in 2018. In the words of David Pendlebury, one of the creators of the Highly Cited Researchers list: “The Highly Cited Researchers list contributes to the identification of that small fraction of the researcher population that contributes disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge. These researchers create gains for society, innovation and knowledge that make the world healthier, richer, more sustainable and more secure.”