The Department proudly congratulates Mark Solms on being recognised among the world’s leading researchers in the 2026 Research.com rankings. Professor Solms is one of only five South African researchers to receive this distinction, highlighting the international impact of his work in neuroscience — the scientific study of the brain, mind, and nervous system.

Professor Solms serves as Director of Neuropsychology within the Department and is also an A-rated researcher with the National Research Foundation (NRF). An NRF A-rating is the highest recognition awarded by the organisation and is reserved for researchers who are regarded by their peers as leading international experts in their field.

The annual Research.com rankings evaluate the profiles of nearly 9 600 scientists worldwide using major academic research databases, including OpenAlex and CrossRef. Researchers are ranked according to their Discipline H-index (D-index), a measure that reflects both the quantity of a researcher’s published work and how often that work is cited by other scholars in the same field. In practical terms, the rankings aim to identify researchers whose work has had a strong and lasting influence on international scientific research.

To be included in the rankings, researchers must achieve a minimum D-index of 30, placing them within a highly selective group of internationally recognised scholars. Professor Solms’s ranking reflects the sustained influence of his research contributions within the global neuroscience community and the continued relevance of his work to advancing scientific understanding.

This recognition also speaks to the strength of neuroscience research in South Africa and the important contribution local scholars continue to make to international academic knowledge and collaboration. The Department celebrates Professor Solms’s achievement and applauds his ongoing commitment to research excellence, innovation, and academic leadership.