Associate Professor Masaaki Kitajima of the Faculty of Engineering at Hokkaido University, has been recognised as a Highly Cited Researcher 2022 by Clarivate.

Associate Professor Masaaki Kitajima (Photo: Masaaki Kitajima).

The Highly Cited Researchers list is based on analysis on authorship and paper citation records in the Web of Science database, run by Clarivate. Kitajima was recognised for the impact of his work in the field of Environment and Ecology, one of the 21 fields considered in the analysis. He joins a select group of 99 researchers in Japan and 6938 researchers worldwide who have demonstrated significant and broad influence reflected in their publication of multiple highly cited papers.

“I am very honored to be selected for this award. As a researcher in the field of environmental engineering, I have been studying pathogenic viruses in the aquatic environment,” said Kitajima. “My research on wastewater-based epidemiology of COVID-19 has attracted a great deal of public attention since the beginning of 2020. I am deeply moved by the fact that data on viruses in wastewater, which was initially measured as academic research, is now actually being used in society. In this context, this award is a great boost for the promotion of academic research and its implementation in society. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who have supported my research, especially my collaborators and students. I intend to use this award as a springboard for further research to contribute to the advancement of the fields of environmental engineering, environmental virology, and wastewater-based epidemiology.”

The Highly Cited Researchers 2022 list uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify individuals from across the globe who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields of research.

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