Prof. Christoph J. Brabec named Highly Cited Researcher 2025 for the 12th time in a row!
Christoph J. Brabec, Chair of Materials Science (Materials in Electronics and Energy Technology) at FAU and Director at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN), has been included in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025. He has appeared on this prestigious list every year since 2014, marking more than a decade of continuous recognition as one of the world’s most influential scientists in his field. This puts him in the top 1% of scientists worldwide for over a decade.
Highly Cited Researchers are selected for their exceptional impact in their respective fields. Their Highly Cited Papers™ rank among the top 1% by citations for their field and year of publication in the Web of Science™ over the past ten years. The selection process goes beyond simple citation counts: analysts at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) at Clarivate combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert review to identify researchers whose work has broad international recognition and impact.
Only those scientists who have contributed to several such Highly Cited Papers over a decade are admitted to the exclusive circle of Highly Cited Researchers. In practical terms, this means that their research is not only frequently cited, but also shapes the direction and standards of their field far beyond their own institutions. The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list includes 6,868 individuals who together received 7,131 awards, reflecting that many researchers are recognized in more than one Essential Science Indicators (ESI) field. These awards span more than 1,300 institutions in 60 countries and regions, highlighting the global nature of today’s research ecosystem.
The distribution of awards again shows a strong concentration of research excellence:
• The United States leads with 2,670 awards (around 37% of the global total).
• Mainland China holds second place with 1,406 awards (about 20%).
• The United Kingdom ranks third with 570 awards.
• Germany follows in fourth place with 363 researchers on the list.
• Australia (312) and Canada (227) are in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Overall, 86% of all awards are concentrated in just ten countries, and 75% in the top five, underlining how tightly clustered the very top tier of global research remains. Within this highly competitive environment, Christoph Brabec’s repeated inclusion underscores his lasting impact on materials science and renewable energy research. His work spans organic and emerging photovoltaics, solution-processed semiconductors and high-throughput methods for device development, with applications ranging from advanced solar modules to novel electronic materials. His continued presence on the Highly Cited Researchers list is a testament to the strength of the research ecosystem at FAU and HI ERN and to the collaborative efforts of his teams and partners in Erlangen, Jülich and worldwide.
Congratulations, Christoph, on this remarkable achievement and on representing FAU and HI ERN in the global top 1% of researchers!
