York Professor enters the global top one per cent of most cited scientists

Professor Simon Gilbody has been recognised in the top one per cent of the world’s most influential published scientists.

Clarivate™, a global provider of data, insights and analytics, have announced the 2024 scientists and social scientists, who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field of research.

Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers™ which rank in the top one per cent by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science™ over the past decade.

Professor Simon Gilbody is an internationally recognised authority on brief scalable solutions to problems such as anxiety and depression.  During the COVID pandemic his research team tracked the impacts of lockdown on the mental health of the population, and most recently, together with colleagues at Hull York Medical School and Health Sciences, he co-founded the University’s first mental health spinout – Third Age Therapeutics – to enable the advances made at York to be delivered at scale.  

Professor Gilbody said: “This is a great honour and a testament to the collective strength of psychology, mental health and population science at York.  We are a University for the public good, and I am blessed with the best of colleagues in Health Sciences and the Hull York Medical School.  

“Whilst it is nice to see my team’s research so widely cited and recognised in this way, we are driven by the need to tackle the epidemics of mental ill health and loneliness.  We work across disciplines and departments to solve local and global problems using our research expertise.”

In an academic career spanning 25 years, Simon has published over 350 research papers and his work has been cited over 48,000 times. 

Professor Andy Dougill, Dean of Faculty of Sciences, said: “The exceptional work of Professor Gilbody has made a significant contribution to global health and our understanding of mental health, and being part of this list demonstrates not only his personal achievements but the improvements he and his colleagues have made to the world we live in.” 

David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, said: “The Highly Cited Researchers™ list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at the University of York and Hull York Medical School whose significant and broad influence in their fields translates to impact in their research community and innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and more secure. 

“Their contributions resonate far beyond their individual achievements, strengthening the foundation of excellence and innovation in research.”