For the 8th Consecutive Year, Despo Fatta-Kassinos is Included in Clarivate’s International List of Highly Cited Researchers

Recognition of the international impact of Professor Despo Fatta-Kassinos' research work in the field of Environment and Ecology

Professor Despo Fatta-Kassinos, of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Cyprus, has been included for the eighth consecutive year in the Highly Cited Researchers (HCRs) 2025 international list published by Clarivate, which highlights the world’s most influential researchers. Professor Fatta-Kassinos is the only female academic from both Cyprus and Greece to appear on the list, underscoring the global reach and recognition of her scientific work. Her research activity is classified by Clarivate under “Environment and Ecology”, a category that includes only 239 scientists worldwide. The annual HCR list is considered a benchmark in the academic community and is one of the criteria used in the Shanghai University Ranking.

The list honours scientists whose publications rank within the top 1% worldwide in citation impact, as indexed in the Web of Science, reflecting long-term scientific influence, excellence, and international recognition. In 2025, Clarivate identified 6,868 researchers from 60 countries, with 86% of the recognitions concentrated in just ten countries. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom hold the top three positions globally. Leading institutions in terms of HCRs include the Chinese Academy of Sciences (258), Harvard University (170), Stanford University (141), MIT (85), the University of Oxford (59), and University College London and the University of Pennsylvania (both with 59).

This year’s selection was marked by exceptionally strict criteria. Clarivate, through the Institute for Scientific Information, applied multi-layered quality and integrity filters, combining algorithmic analysis with qualitative evaluation. Extensive checks were conducted for hyperprolific publishing patterns, excessive self-citation, unbalanced citation networks, and limited scientific dissemination. More than 2,400 candidates were excluded this year to ensure that the final list reflects genuine, global, and fundamental scientific contributions. Clarivate emphasized that the goal is to highlight researchers who shape the direction of science and technology with tangible, lasting impact and high standards of research integrity.

Professor Fatta-Kassinos’s distinction reaffirms the University of Cyprus’s international leadership in the fields of wastewater treatment and reuse, advanced chemical oxidation processes as disinfection or pre-/post-treatment stages for the removal of micropollutants and antimicrobial resistance, the fate and environmental impacts of emerging contaminants, ecotoxicity, advanced chemical, microbiological, and molecular analytical techniques for identifying emerging contaminants, bacteria, genes, and mobile genetic elements in water, wastewater, soils, plants, and crops irrigated with treated wastewater, as well as the broader management of environmental systems.

Professor Fatta-Kassinos stated:
“This distinction reflects the collective effort, creativity, and dedication of our research group at the University of Cyprus. Our goal is to generate knowledge with meaningful impact on science and society through high-quality research with global reach. It is a profound honour to see Cyprus contributing actively to the shaping of international scientific excellence.”

The full Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list is available on Clarivate’s official website.