Clarivate Analytics, a company specialising in citation data, has published a new list of Highly Cited Researchers worldwide. Once again, professors from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) are included: cell researcher José Pedro Friedmann Angeli, physician and immunologist Georg Gasteiger, systems biologist Dominic Grün, physicist Ronny Thomale and physician Christoph Wanner.
Publications are considered highly cited if they are among the top one per cent most cited in their field in their year of publication. Only those who are involved in a particularly large number of such publications are included in the circle of Highly Cited Researchers.
In 2025, this circle consists of 7,131 individuals. Most of them work in the United States (42 per cent), followed by China (12 per cent) and the United Kingdom (9 per cent). Germany ranks fourth, accounting for 5 per cent of the frequently cited researchers.
Congratulations from the President
JMU President Paul Pauli congratulates the researchers: ‘The fact that five Würzburg scientists are among the Highly Cited Researchers is impressive proof of our university's international visibility. My congratulations to the award winners!’
Prof. Dr. José Pedro Friedmann Angeli
The professor at the Rudolf Virchow Zentrum – Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher for five consecutive years, is redefining our understanding of how cells live and die. His research shows how oxidative forces at cell membranes are controlled and how changes in this balance can trigger ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death. His goal is to turn basic principles into practical tools: new ways to predict and influence cell fate, and to transform membrane redox biology into precise treatments. This work is opening paths to more targeted treatments for difficult cancers and setting a blueprint for innovation across translational cell biology.
Prof. Dr. Georg Gasteiger
The founding director of the Max Planck Research Group for Systems Immunology at the University of Würzburg and head of the JMU Chair of Systems Immunology II is a leading international immunologist and has conducted pioneering work on the biology of immune cells in tissues. His team investigates the interactions of lymphocytes with the various tissues of the body. The group has made fundamental contributions to the tissue-specific regulation of the innate and adaptive immune systems in the context of the development, repair and ageing of various organs. Gasteiger's team investigates how these regulatory mechanisms contribute to the defence against infections or tumours or to the development of inflammatory diseases.
Prof. Dr. Dominic Grün
The head of the JMU Chair for Computational Biology of Spatial Biomedical Systems and director at the Institute of Systems Immunology investigates processes of cell differentiation in bone marrow and liver tissue using high-resolution methods. His research group has developed numerous bioinformatics algorithms to decipher data obtained with single-cell RNA sequencing. Using these methods, the physicist was able to create the first cell type atlas of the human liver and contribute to a better understanding of tissue architecture and cell differentiation in the liver. In addition, his research group is investigating molecular and cellular processes in tissue regeneration of the liver, heart, and bone marrow.
Prof. Dr. Ronny Thomale
The head of the Chair for Theoretical Physics I deals with the theoretical description of strongly correlated electron states. Materials with these properties give rise to astonishing phenomena such as superconductivity, quantum Hall effect, spin liquids, topological insulators and magnetism. Fundamental research at the chair aims to predict new quantum states of matter and to better understand potential material candidates in combination with experimental investigations. This also extends to synthetic solid-state systems that can be used as simulators of special properties of quantum materials.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Wanner
The senior professor and former Head of Nephrology at the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I of the Würzburg University Hospital is an expert in kidney disease in diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients and after kidney transplants. Through worldwide clinical studies, he was able to show for the first time that a drug that is effective in the kidney can significantly delay the progression of kidney disease in diabetics up to renal replacement therapy. His work also focuses on the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of lipid metabolism disorders in kidney patients.