Physical activity and health expert hailed as one of the world’s most influential researchers

GCU Professor of Health Behaviour Dynamics Sebastien Chastin has been named in the top one per cent of the world’s most influential researchers in the Clarivate’s Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list.

The highly anticipated annual list identifies researchers who have demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top one per cent by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index.

The methodology that determines the ‘who’s who’ of influential researchers draws on the data and analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. It also uses the tallies to identify the countries and research institutions where these scientific elite are based.

Professor Chastin, from the Physiotherapy Department in the School of Health and Life Sciences, who has produced world-leading research into physical activity and health, was delighted to be among the top one per cent.

He said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised with the best researchers in the world, I find myself amongst giants, people I have admired and had the privilege to work with over the years.

“Glasgow Caledonian University now has an international reputation for excellence in the field of physical activity and this recognition is testament to the hard work of my team and all those I collaborate with.”

Some of his most influential research includes novel analysis of how time spent active, sitting and sleeping combine to influence health.

David Pendlebury, Senior Citation Analyst at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, said: “In the race for knowledge, it is human capital that is fundamental and this list identifies and celebrates this exceptional individual researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University who is having a great impact on the research community as measured by the rate at which their work is being cited by others.”

The full 2020 Highly Cited Researchers list and executive summary can be found online here