Three MPI for Biology researchers again named among the world’s “highly cited” for 2025

William Walters, Ruth Ley, and Detlef Weigel have once again been recognised among the top 1% of highly cited scientists worldwide, according to Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list.

The two Directors and postdoctoral researcher appear on this year’s update of the annual list, which identifies researchers whose work has had a lasting influence in their fields. Their recognition highlights both their individual contributions and the institute’s broader impact in biological research.

Clarivate is a British-American analytics company and its evaluation is based on data from the Web of Science™, a platform indexing literature from more than 30,000 journals. Researchers are selected when their publications rank among the top 1% most cited in their field and year. The list reflects citation impact over the past eleven years and considers citation counts, publication record, and other indicators of scientific influence.

This year’s list includes Ruth Ley, Director of the Department of Microbiome Science; Detlef Weigel, Director of the Department of Molecular Biology; and postdoctoral researcher William Anthony “Tony” Walters from the Department of Microbiome Science. This marks Tony Walters’ fifth consecutive year in the ranking, recognizing his work on gut microbial communities, infant health, and contributions such as a widely cited Nature paper on the QIIME microbiome analysis software. This recognition is particularly noteworthy for him as a postdoctoral researcher, acknowledging the influence of his current work and supporting his plans to continue advancing research on the human microbiome, host physiology and health, and the use of AI in scientific analysis.

Ruth Ley and Detlef Weigel appear on the list for the eleventh year in a row, highlighting their consistent influence in their respective research fields: Ruth Ley studies the ecology and evolutionary origins of the human gut microbiome and its role in host physiology, while Detlef Weigel investigates the evolution of adaptive traits in plants and how they interact with pathogens and microbes.

Global Context

For 2025, Clarivate honoured 6,868 researchers with 7,131 total awards across more than 1,300 institutions in 61 countries and regions. The number of awards exceeds the number of individuals because some are recognized in more than one field. Germany received 363 awards overall.

The Max Planck Society ranks seventh worldwide with 66 highly cited researchers, making it the only German institution in the global Top 10. This distinction underscores the Society’s strong research environment and highlights the Max Planck Institute for Biology’s role in advancing biological research.

Congratulations to Ruth Ley, Detlef Weigel, and Tony Walters on this impressive achievement.