Hans Lennernäs climbs the Top 2% Scientists • Now 104 in Pharmacology & Pharmacy

The Stanford University and Elsevier Top 2% Scientists 2025 is official. This annual list presents the world's most influential researchers, and for the fourth year in a row Hans Lennernäs, Professor of Biopharmacy, is awarded a prominent position, climbing to place 104 in Pharmacology & Pharmacy on the ranking that, with focus on bibliometrics and citations, highlights scientific impact.

“I primarily consider it a seal of quality and a reminder that our work helps improve drug therapies, which is what drives us every day, with our greatest inspiration coming from patients telling us how our work helps them in life,” says Hans Lennernäs.

Top 2% Scientist ranks researchers based on both achievements this year and entire careers. In the latter category, Hans Lennernäs reaches the foremost per mille in the world of science. The underlying statistics confirm close to 300 publications, 29,000 citations, an h-index of 71 and an impressive 97 citations per article. Among numerous highly publicized achievements, we find the collaboration with the Uppsala University Hospital and the University of Michigan, which resulted in the Biopharmaceutics Classification System.

“Our faculty’s many advantages include the close proximity to Uppsala's clinical environments, which was a key success factor behind the system that is now used by regulatory authorities worldwide and was recently highlighted in History and Evolution of Innovations in Clinical Pharmacology. It was a valuable experience that contributed to IMI trusting us with the management of OrBiTo, the European consortium where academia and industry developed tools and new expertise in oral bioavailability,” states Hans Lennernäs.

This year, Hans Lennernäs was elected – as the first researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy – new member of Academia Europaea, the society that unites 88 Nobel laureates and a selection of Europe's leading researchers in a mission to advance the frontiers of science. Previously elected members at Uppsala University include Lena Claesson-Welsh, Carl-Henrik Heldin and Stig Strömholm, and at the Academia's annual meeting in Barcelona on 15–17 October, Hans Lennernäs was introduced in person.

“It was a very rewarding conference in every way with high-quality lectures and interesting discussions. Philippe Aghion was supposed to attend, but after receiving the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, he had to join online. I take home both new ideas and openings for potential collaborations, but above all, inspiration to contribute to the continued work and development of Academia Europaea.”

Next, an intense autumn awaits at Uppsala Biomedical Center. In collaboration with the university's Faculty of Medicine and the Uppsala University Hospital, Hans Lennernäs' group leads the search for new tools against primary liver cancer, the world's second-deadliest form of tumor disease. Through analysis of tissue samples from patients, the interdisciplinary team aims to identify predictors in order to enable earlier diagnosis, individualised treatments and significantly improved survival rates.

“It is a complex project that is possible thanks to the interdisciplinary generosity and proximity to healthcare that characterizes Uppsala, and we are now about to start publishing results. More positive news is that our faculty has appointed Peter Langguth, Professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, as a new Honorary Doctor. He is an exceptional researcher with whom we have collaborated for many years, and that we are now consolidating the ties even further will undoubtedly add important value, so we are definitely set for an exciting future,” states Hans Lennernäs

Text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt a o