Professors Mike Wingfield and Rangan Gupta of the University of Pretoria (UP) have once again been placed on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2023. They are among a group of only 10 South African academics on the list.

Clarivate, which provides subscription-based services that are centred on analytics in scientific and academic research, releases an annual roster that recognises researchers who are making significant contributions to their respective fields. This recognition is based on the publication of multiple highly cited research papers over the past decade, with the list comprising individuals whose names have emerged from publications ranking in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index.

Professor Sunil Maharaj, Vice-Principal for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education at UP, congratulated the professors, saying that this global recognition demonstrates how highly UP values research excellence.

“I am thrilled about this accomplishment and congratulate Professors Gupta and Wingfield,” he said. “Not only have they significantly advanced scientific research, but their high citation counts also encourage other researchers to reach this level of international greatness. At UP, we conduct exceptional transdisciplinary research that positively impacts society.”

Professor Rangan Gupta

“This is a delightful surprise,” said Prof Gupta of the Department of Economics in UP’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. “It’s gratifying to see international recognition for my contributions to macroeconomics, financial economics and energy economics. I extend my gratitude to the department and the faculty for their commitment to achieving excellence through impactful research. I would also like to thank my co-authors, as their collaboration has been instrumental in making this achievement possible.”

This marks Prof Gupta’s third consecutive year on the list, reflecting his continuous dedication to expanding research interests. His research interests include macroeconomics, monetary theory and policy, business cycles, and time series econometrics. Over the years, he has expanded his research interests to financial economics. Prof Gupta also walked away with his second Exceptional Academic Achiever Award at UP’s 2023 Academic Achievers’ Awards ceremony.

7^th consecutive feature on the list for Prof Wingfield

Professor Mike Wingfield

Prof Wingfield, advisor to UP’s Executive and a research professor at the Forestry and Agriculture Biotechnology Institute (FABI), features on the list for the seventh consecutive year. He is a founding director of FABI, which was established in 1998. It recently celebrated 25 years as a world-leading research institute. Prof Wingfield was also the recipient of the annual Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award for his research into disease-causing fungi in 2022.

His research focus is on the health of trees. He is interested in insect pests and microbial pathogens that threaten the future of naturally occurring and planted forests. 

“I am particularly interested in how these pests and pathogens are moving around the world, and how we can slow their movement to reduce their negative impact,” Prof Wingfield said. “I am grateful to know that my work is appreciated and seen. I am mostly appreciative of being able to work with exceptional people, wonderful students, a supportive University, supportive funders and exceptional colleagues.”