Once again, professors from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have been included in the list of Highly Cited Researchers: medical scientists Hermann Einsele and Christoph Wanner, cell researcher José Pedro Friedmann Angeli and, for the first time, theoretical physicist Ronny Thomale.
The current Highly Cited List was established by Clarivate Analytics, a company specialising in citation data, and published on November 19th, 2024. The analysis is based on the Web of Science database. For their 2024 assessment, the analysts looked at the time between 2013 and 2023.
Highly cited papers rank in the top one percent of most-cited publications in their field in the year of publication. Only such scholars who have co-authored particularly multiple highly cited papers may join the ranks of "Highly Cited Researchers" comprising 6,636 scientists from 59 countries in 2023.

JMU President Congratulates

JMU President Paul Pauli congratulates the researchers: "The fact that Würzburg scientists are repeatedly among the Highly Cited Researchers is impressive proof of the international visibility of our university. Congratulations to the honourees!"

Prof. Dr. Hermann Einsele

The head of the Chair of Internal Medicine II and director of the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic II is an expert in stem cell transplantation against blood cancer and multiple myeloma and infectious diseases in immune-compromised patients. Immunotherapeutic studies for many tumour diseases are underway under his direction. Einsele has developed a cancer therapy with specifically modified immune cells and used it clinically for the first time in Europe. He has received the 2003 van Bekkum Award of the European Society for Cell and Stem Cell Therapy, 2012 Nobel Lecture Stem Cell Biology/Transplantation, Nobel Forum Karolinska Institute Sweden. In 2014 he was accepted as a member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz. In 2022, he was the first European to receive the prestigious Erasmus Hematology Award for special achievements in cancer immunotherapy as well as the Bavarian Constitutional Order and in 2023 the highest prize of the German Society for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology (DGTI), the Emil-von-Behring Lecture. He is co-spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Centres 124, 221, and 338 and spokesperson of the National Centre for Tumour Diseases WERA with headquarters in Würzburg. Hermann Einsele has been a member of Academia Europea since 2023 and a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2024. In 2024, he also received the Ken Anderson Basic and Translational Research Award from the International Myeloma Society.

Prof. Dr. José Pedro Friedmann Angeli

The Professor of Translational Cell Biology at the Rudolf Virchow Center - Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging is a leading figure in the field of translational cell biology. He is renowned for his groundbreaking research on the interplay between metabolic signaling and cell survival, particularly in the context of ferroptosis. Ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, plays a crucial role in various physiological and pathological processes ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases. As co-speaker of the Rudolf Virchow Center at the University of Würzburg, Friedmann Angeli has made seminal contributions to elucidating of the metabolic pathways that influence ferroptosis sensitivity. His work has paved the way for innovative therapeutic strategies that exploit these pathways to target cancers inherently susceptible to ferroptosis, including B-cell malignancies, melanomas and neuroblastomas. Professor Friedmann Angeli's dedication goes beyond research, contributing to the establishment of the DFG-funded Priority Programme “Ferroptosis: from Molecular Basis to Clinical Applications” (SPP 2306). Recognizing the transformative potential of his work, the European Research Council awarded him a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant in 2024 to further advance this crucial area of research. His lab aims to translate these fundamental mechanistic insights into clinical applications, offering hope for more effective and selective treatments for ferroptosis-sensitive cancers.

Prof. Dr. Ronny Thomale

The Chair’s of Theoretical Physics I research area 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. For his work, Thomale has been awarded the Karl-Heinz Hoffmann Prize of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Physics of Tel Aviv University, among others.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Wanner

The former Head of Nephrology at the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I of 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. He is continuing this with a major new study, which is being coordinated at JMU as the lead institution for Germany and Europe. Wanner was awarded the Franz Volhard Medal in 2018. He has been a senior professor at JMU since the beginning of 2023.