Mohammedia – Professor Youssef Belmabkhout of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) has been named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list, placing him among the world’s most influential scientific voices.
The distinction recognizes researchers whose work ranks in the top 1% by global citations and reflects a broad and lasting impact across multiple fields.
Belmabkhout earned his place in the Cross-Field category, which spotlights scholars whose research extends beyond a single discipline.
Clarivate’s data shows that his work accumulated more than 20,600 citations — nearly 20,000 excluding self-citations — across over 13,600 citing articles.
His research has also been cited in 219 patents from 138 patent documents, underscoring significant industrial relevance in addition to academic influence.
UM6P celebrated his success earlier this week, emphasizing his “sustained scientific impact” and the university’s commitment to high-level research that contributes both locally and globally. His recognition marks one of two Moroccan entries on the 2025 list.
Belmabkhout’s work focuses on advanced material-separation processes, with contributions spanning gas storage and purification, catalysis, CO2 capture, and sensing materials.
As global industries confront the challenge of increasing energy demands while adhering to strict environmental targets, his research provides pathways toward cleaner, more efficient, and economically viable solutions.
Born in Rabat in 1974 and raised in Khouribga, Belmabkhout began his studies in Casablanca before pursuing graduate and doctoral training abroad.
He earned a PhD in Applied Sciences in Belgium in 2005 and went on to join leading institutions including the French Petroleum Institute, the University of Ottawa, Canada’s National Research Council, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
He previously appeared on Clarivate’s Highly Cited list in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
A second Moroccan researcher recognized in 2025
The 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list includes one other Moroccan: Professor Aziz Bousfiha, an immunologist, pediatric infectious disease specialist, and expert in primary immunodeficiencies.
He is affiliated with Hassan II University of Casablanca and serves at CHU Ibn Rochd’s Department of Pediatrics.
Bousfiha was selected in the Immunology category, reflecting worldwide recognition for his work across multiple subject areas.
His Clarivate profile lists contributions in Immunology, Research & Experimental Medicine, Allergy, Pediatrics, and Genetics & Heredity.
He has appeared consecutively on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list in 2022, 2023, 2024, and now 2025, demonstrating the consistency and global reach of his medical research.
Both of Morocco’s representatives stand among only 16 African researchers selected this year, alongside peers from South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt.
Their inclusion highlights the strengthening of Morocco’s scientific landscape and the growing visibility of its research institutions within global networks.
For UM6P, Hassan II University, and the country’s wider academic community, the 2025 recognitions mark a significant milestone — affirming that Moroccan science increasingly contributes to global discovery, innovation, and public health.
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