NINE Scottish universities have had staff named in a global list of key academics.

The Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List has been announced for 2022.

The annual list is compiled of 6938 researchers worldwide who have demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field over the past decade, with the list spanning more than 69 countries and a diverse range of science research fields.

Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Edinburgh Napier, Glasgow Caledonian, Strathclyde, St Andrews and Stirling have all been included in this prestigious list.

The six academics from the University of Dundee scored a spot on the list due to being influential in fields such as biology and chemistry, cross-field, molecular biology and genetics, pharmacology and toxicology, and neuroscience and behavior.

Professor Iain Gillespie, principal and vice-chancellor of the university, said: “Dundee is home to research of global significance, and we continue to punch well above our weight in this area.

“For six of our university’s academics to be named on this list alongside researchers from some of the world’s famous academic institutions is testament to their innovation and excellence.

“They have all contributed greatly to our mission to transform lives through the creation, sharing and application of knowledge, and their inclusion is richly deserved.”

The list uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to choose individuals from across the world who have demonstrated significant influence in their field.

It is drawn from papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index over the past 10 years.

Three researchers from St Andrews University were featured on the list for cross-field, social sciences, and space sciences. Edinburgh Napier, Stirling, and Strathclyde were all named for cross-field research, and Glasgow Caledonian academics were included for social sciences.

Some of the most famous and prestigious universities in the world were named on the list, including academics from Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge.