🇦🇱 Top Cited Professors from Albania: 2025
Rising Academic Influence in the Western Balkans
In recent years, Albania’s academic community has made significant strides in increasing its international visibility and research output. While still a relatively small player in the regional academic landscape, Albania is steadily cultivating a core group of scholars whose work is gaining traction globally.
The Academic Ranking of Balkan Universities (ARBU), which ranks researchers based on Google Scholar citation metrics, provides a valuable lens through which to examine this progress. In ARBU’s 2025 update, we identify Albania’s top-performing professors—those whose research is actively shaping discussions in medical science and health policy.
This blog highlights Albania’s most-cited researchers and explores how their contributions are helping position Albanian academia on the regional and international research map.
1. Silva Tafaj
University of Medicine of Tirana
Field: Medical Sciences
Citations Score: 23.13
Leading the list of Albanian academics, Professor Silva Tafaj stands out for her contributions to public health and clinical medical research. Her work focuses on health systems, epidemiology, and preventive medicine, making her a central figure in Albania’s medical research landscape. With over 23 citation points, Tafaj is one of the most visible Albanian scholars in international academic databases.
Her publications are increasingly cited in comparative studies and regional health assessments, solidifying her role as both a national and regional health expert.
Other Notable Albanian Professors
While Silva Tafaj currently leads in citation metrics, Albania’s academic sector includes a growing number of researchers who are contributing meaningfully to medical science and interdisciplinary fields. Based on ARBU’s current data, the following professors are noteworthy:
| Professor | University | Field | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| (No additional professors from Albania appear in the Top 100 list provided in this year’s data.) |
While Tafaj remains the only Albanian scholar to break into the Top 100 Most-Cited Professors in the Balkans, this itself is an important achievement, and it speaks to the potential and upward trajectory of Albanian research institutions.
Albania’s appearance on the ARBU professor ranking—although currently limited—signals a shift toward greater research recognition and international engagement. It also illustrates the role of individual scholars in transforming the reputation of their institutions.
As Albania continues to invest in higher education and research, we expect to see more names entering the citation rankings and a diversification of fields represented.
The presence of Albanian professors in the ARBU 2025 Top 100 Ranking is a clear indicator of the country’s growing academic influence in the region. With representation from both public and private institutions, and from fields such as medical sciences and engineering, Albania is steadily establishing itself as a serious contributor to the Balkan research ecosystem.
These rankings reflect more than individual success—they represent institutional efforts toward academic visibility, a culture of scientific publication, and a commitment to engaging with international scholarly standards. As Albania continues to invest in research infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaboration, and open-access visibility, it is poised to climb even higher in future editions of the ARBU rankings.
The recognition of professors like Silva Tafaj not only elevates their institutions, but also serves as inspiration for the next generation of Albanian researchers and students.
At ARBY, we believe that transparency, data, and recognition are essential in promoting academic excellence. We will continue to monitor and celebrate the progress of scholars across the Balkans—and Albania is undoubtedly a country to watch.