World Ranking of Top Biology & Biochemistry Scientists in 2022 (1st Edition)

by Imed Bouchrika, Phd

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist

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On March 28, 2022, Research.com released the 1st edition of the annual ranking for top scientists in the area of biology & biochemistry. This list of leading scholars is designed to offer the academic community more visibility and exposure to the influential research contributions made by those at the forefront of biology & biochemistry.

What is more, we hope it will inspire researchers, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs around the world to find out where leading experts are heading. It is a great opportunity for all of us to learn who are the leading experts in different research areas, in different countries, as well as within different universities and research institutions.

For the 2022 edition of the ranking, more than 23,000 scientist profiles on Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Graph have been examined with several indicators and metrics reviewed in order to consider each scientist’s inclusion in the ranking.

The h-index threshold for approving a scholar to be considered was set to 40 if most of their publications were in the field of biology & biochemistry. The inclusion criteria for scholars to be considered into the ranking of top scientists are based on the discipline h-index, the proportion of contributions made within the given discipline in addition to the awards and achievements of the scientists.

The key findings for the 1st edition of top biology & biochemistry scientists ranking

• Scholars from the United States are dominating the ranking with 605 scientists representing 60.5% of all leading biology & biochemistry scientists.
• The other countries with leading positions in the ranking are Germany (786 scientists or 7.6%), the UK (61 scientists or 6.1%), Japan (51 scientists or 5.1%), Australia (24 scientists or 2.4%), Canada (23 scientists or 2.3%), and France (19 scientists or 1.9%).
• 7 out of 10 scientists in the top 1% are from the United States, while the other three are from France, Germany, and Switzerland.
• The no. 1 position in the ranking is held by Guido Kroemer from Sorbonne University, France, who has an h-index of 281.
• In 2022 Harvard University was the research institution hosting the highest number of leading biology & biochemistry scientist with as many as 56 of them working there this year.
• American universities constitute 80% of the top 10 leading institutions with the only non-American institution being the Max Planck Society and the University of Tokyo.
• The highest cited scientist is Guido Kroemer from Sorbonne University with 398,396 citations.
• The average H-index for the top 1% of scientists is 231 against an average of 114 for all 1000 scientists included in the ranking.

The full ranking for the 2022 list of top biology & biochemistry scientists can be found here:

TOP BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY SCIENTISTS RANKING

Countries with the highest number of leading biology & biochemistry scientists

Scientists from the United States dominate the list with 605 scholars included in 2022 which represents 60.5% of the whole ranking. 7 out of 10 scientists in the top 1% are from the United States, with the other three being from France, Switzerland, and Germany.

Germany ranks second with 76 scientists.

The third spot was taken by the United Kingdom, which currently has 61 ranking scientists.

The other leading countries are Japan with 51 scientists, Australia with 24 scientists, Canada with 23 scientists, France with 19 scientists, and Switzerland with 19 scholars as well.

Please note that the country associated with a scientist is based on their affiliated research institution according to MAG, not on their actual nationality.

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Institutions with the highest number of leading scientists

In the 2022 edition of our ranking, Harvard University is the leader, with 56 scientists affiliated with that university included in the ranking. Ranking second is the University of California, San Diego with 30 scientists, and the third place is occupied by the University of California, San Francisco with 29 scholars.

American universities constitute 80% of the top 10 leading institutions with the only non-American institution being the Max Planck Society and the University of Tokyo.

7 out of 10 institutions in the top 1% of leading scientists are based in the USA, the other three are Sorbonne University, France (ranked 1st), Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany (ranked 5th), ETH Zurich, Switzerland (ranked 6th).

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H-index ranking – leaders, averages, and distribution

For Europe, Professor Guido Kroemer from Sorbonne University, France is ranked first in the region, but he's also listed no. 1 in the world ranking, with an H-index of 281.

For North America, Professor Robert J. Lefkowitz, from Duke University, US ranks 2nd on our list of leading scientists with a high H-index of 260.

For Oceania, Professor Nicholas G. Martin from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia is on top of the list with a world ranking of 55.

Professor Noboru Mizushima from the University of Tokyo, Japan leads the top list in Asia with an H-index of 149 and a world ranking of 77.

Professor Michael R. Hamblin who is affiliated with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa is the first for Africa with a world ranking of 131.

Professor José María Gutiérrez from the University of Costa Rica is the highest-ranking scientist from South America with a world ranking of 954.

The average H-index for the top 1% of scientists is 231 against an average of 114 for all 1000 scientists included in the ranking.

The scholar with the lowest index value who made it to the ranking in 2022 has an H-index of 92.

The average number of published articles for the top 1% of scientists in the ranking is 817 against an average of 353 for all 1000 scholars.

The average number of citations for the top 1% of scientists is 239,585 against an average of 58,558 for all 1000 scholars. The highest cited scientist is Guido Kroemer from Sorbonne University with 398,396 citations.

You can learn more about the methodology used to create the ranking here.

About Research.com

All research was coordinated by Imed Bouchrika, Ph.D., a computer scientist with a well-established record of collaboration on a number of international research projects with different partners from the academic community. His role was to make sure all data remained unbiased, accurate, and up-to-date.

Research.com is the number one research portal for science and educational rankings. Our mission is to make it easier for professors, research fellows, and students to progress with their research and find the top experts in a wide range of scientific disciplines. Research.com is also a leading educational platform that helps students find the best colleges, academic opportunities, and career paths.