Five UOC researchers were among the world's most cited in 2023

The new ranking of the world's most cited scientists includes five UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) researchers. The ranking, drawn up by the company Elsevier in association with Stanford University, lists the top 2% of academics most cited by other researchers in scientific publications, in any subject area, in 2023.

The more than 200,000 professionals named include, among others, Hug March and Lluís Garay, both members of the UOC's Faculty of Economics and Business; Margarita Triguero-Mas [Update 20/11/2024: also ranked among the top 1% most cited in Social Sciences according to Clarivate Analytics] and Xavier Medina of the UOC's Faculty of Health Sciences; and the Vice Rector for Research, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship, Xavier Vilajosana. It is an annual ranking based on bibliographies and citations appearing in peer-reviewed papers in journals, as well as in academic books and conference papers.

Outstanding scientific papers

Professor Hug March, researcher in the Urban Transformation and Global Change Laboratory (TURBA Lab), which belongs to the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), has made it onto the ranking thanks to his contributions to the study of the political ecology of the water cycle. His research addresses discourses on drought, water supply technologies and financing, urban sustainability and transformative adaptation, as well as the intersection between the ecological and digital transitions. According to March, his inclusion in the ranking is the result of collaborative work carried out at the TURBA Lab, which "confirms that high-quality and impactful research, teaching and knowledge transfer can be carried out at the UOC to address the socio-environmental challenges that will reshape our societies and economies in the near future".

"It's also a milestone for the study of tourism, which has been misunderstood until recently and whose great significance has drawn increasing interest from the media," said Lluís Garay, lead researcher of the NOUTUR (New Perspectives in Tourism and Leisure) group. Garay, whose main focus is on the intersection between digitalization and sustainable tourism in these times of multiple crises, cited a project on corporate social responsibility that he carried out during a stay at Leeds Metropolitan University as one of the reasons for appearing in the ranking. He said that this research helped him focus on the transition of the tourism industry and its stakeholders "towards environmentally, socially and economically fairer models", with particular emphasis on the study of the tourism platform economy with his colleagues Julie Wilson and Soledad Morales.

As for Margarita Triguero-Mas, her top works address mental health and the potential health impacts of environmental gentrification, a field she describes as "virtually unexplored". Triguero-Mas, who is a researcher in the Barcelona Interdisciplinary Research Group on Planetary Health (BITAL), highlighted her research on the mental health benefits of prolonged exposure to green spaces, a study which "has been used by the World Health Organization and several governments". In her opinion, appearing in this ranking also highlights "the existence of female scientists, the relevance of interdisciplinary research and the increasing value placed on planetary health."

It is thanks to Professor Xavier Medina's work on the Mediterranean diet, following its recent acknowledgement by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, that he has found his way into the Elsevier ranking. The lead researcher of FoodLab (Food, Nutrition, Society and Health Interdisciplinary Research Group) said that "My background is in social anthropology, which is still a little-known area of science. And, within this area, studies on food are even less known." According to Medina, his inclusion in the ranking bears testament to the growth of "this discipline in the last two decades and the interest in studies on food culture, with new and more holistic perspectives".

The world's top 2% most cited scientists also include Professor Xavier Vilajosana, UOC vice rector for Research, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship and joint lead researcher at the IN3's Wireless Networks Research Lab (WINE). Some of Vilajosana's most outstanding results concern communication systems for the internet of things, passive sensing technology and, more recently, satellite and GNSS (global navigation satellite systems) positioning systems. According to the vice rector, the presence of UOC researchers in the ranking proves that "our research is comparable to that carried out by other institutions with more funding and scientific recognition".

Research assessment that is also qualitative

Although citations are the main criterion for making it onto the Elsevier ranking, the UOC's vice rector for Research, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship believes that "both quantitative and qualitative indicators" must be taken into account when assessing research "in order to understand its scientific and social impact". In the same belief, the UOC has joined international initiatives to promote a new research assessment model, with actions such as signing the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) in 2019 and constituting the international Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) two years later. Internally, the UOC also has the CoARA Plan 2024-2027 to develop improvements to the assessment of research with its teaching and research staff.

The research carried out at the UOC supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UOC R&I

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health.

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.