Elite researcher sets record with 200,000 citations

The number of times a researcher's results are cited and used by other researchers shows their significance in a specific field of research. Publications and citations in scientific journals indicate the range and influence and recognition accorded to the research concerned. And here Professor Matthias Mann is amongst the absolute top global elite.

“This result is extremely remarkable and very, very impressive.  Matthias Mann´s research is simply excellent and groundbreaking and is making a very special contribution to placing the University of Copenhagen and research at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research amongst the global top,” says Dean Ulla Wewer.

Only very few researchers worldwide have achieved a comparable number of citations and a scientific CV that comes anywhere near Professor Matthias Mann's. In the autumn, he achieved a so-called h index ranking of over 200 and Google Scholar lists him with more than 200,000 scientific citations, putting him ahead of the figures given on Google Scholar for such world-famous researchers as sociologist Robert Merton and economist Milton Friedmann.

“I'm extremely pleased that others have used my research for their further investigations. One of the best things we can achieve as researchers is for our new discoveries to be used by others," says Professor Matthias Mann.

Pioneer in modern protein research
Professor Matthias Mann is employed at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research at the University of Copenhagen and also at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. His research aims to identify all the proteins in the body using advanced mass spectrometry. This knowledge can be used to predict the health of the body or medical conditions.

The Danish research centre specifically aims to make results in protein research accessible to researchers worldwide and also trains other researchers in cutting-edge methods and technology. Matthias Mann wishes this open-source approach to provide increased engagement in protein research, which will very probably mean even more citations in future.

“There are relatively few of us researchers who helped start this field of research. Which is why many people refer back to our previous research.  The main thing is that it shows that protein research is growing and developing rapidly,” explains Professor Matthias Mann.

Knowledge to help patients
A report by US analytical firm, Clarivate Analytics, showed that at year-end 2017, several of Matthias Mann's scientific articles were amongst the 1% most cited globally in that year. Analyses from 2015 also showed that he was already then the most cited researcher in Germany. In other words, the spread of his research amongst scientists puts him in the absolute top elite worldwide. This is something that he hopes can help quickly translate his research into new therapies for the benefit of patients.

“I hope most of all that the knowledge I have helped elucidate makes it right out to the clinic. So it is not only used by researchers but gets to reach and benefit patients. That is also what I am working on now,” emphasise Matthias Mann.

For more details, see Matthias Mann's profile at Google Scholar.