World Ranking of Top Chemistry Scientists in 2022 (1st Edition)

by Imed Bouchrika, Phd

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist

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On April 4, 2022, Research.com released the 1st edition of the annual ranking for top scientists in the area of chemistry. 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 chemistry.

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 35,000 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 chemistry. 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 chemistry scientists ranking

• Scholars from the United States are dominating the ranking with 433 scientists representing 43.3% of all leading chemistry scientists.
• The other leading countries with leading positions in the ranking are China (129 scientists or 12.9%), Germany (79 scientists or 7.9%), Japan (57 scientists or 5.7%), the UK (53 scientists or 5.3%), and Australia (25 scientists or 2.5%)
• 6 out of 10 scientists in the top 1% are from the United States, with the other countries represented being Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, and China.
• The no. 1 position in the ranking is held by Michael Gratzel from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, who has an h-index of 238.
• In the 2022 edition of our ranking, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the leader, with 32 scientists affiliated with that institution included in the ranking.
• American universities constitute 7 out of 10 top leading institutions with the other countries being represented by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Max Planck Society from Germany, and the University of Tokyo in Japan.
• The highest cited scientist is Michael Gratzel from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, with 287,785 citations.
• The average H-index for the top 1% of scientists is 198 against an average of 105 for all 1000 scientists included in the ranking.

The full ranking for the 2022 list of top chemistry scientists can be found here:

TOP CHEMISTRY SCIENTISTS RANKING

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Countries with the highest number of leading chemistry scientists

Scientists from the United States dominate the list with 433 scholars included in 2022 which represents 43.3% of the whole ranking. 6 out of 10 scientists in the top 1% are from the United States, with the other countries represented being Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, and China.

China ranks second with 129 scientists.

The third spot was taken by Germany, which currently has 79 ranking scientists.

The other leading countries are Japan with 57 scientists, the UK with 53 scientists, Australia with 25 scientists, the Netherlands with 23 scientists, and Canada with 22 scholars.

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

Institutions with the highest number of leading scientists

In the 2022 edition of our ranking, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the leader, with 32 scientists affiliated with that institution included in the ranking. Ranking second is the University of California, Berkeley with 28 scientists, and the third place is occupied by Stanford University with 23 scholars.

American universities constitute 70% of the top 10 leading institutions with the other ones representing China (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Germany (Max Planck Society), and Japan (University of Tokyo).

6 out of 10 institutions affiliated with the top 1% of leading scientists are based in the USA. Other top spots are occupied by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland (1st spot), Technical University of Denmark (3rd spot), Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany (6th spot), and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (10th spot).

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H-index ranking – leaders, averages, and distribution

For Europe, Professor Michael Gratzel from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland is ranked first in the region, with an H-index of 238. He's also listed as no. 1 in the world ranking.

For North America, Professor George M. Whitesides, from Harvard University ranks 1st on our list of leading scientists in that region with a high H-index of 227. He's also listed as no. 2 in the world ranking.

Professor Ben Zhong Tang from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen leads the top list in Asia with an H-index of 178 and a world ranking of 10.

For Oceania, Professor Shaobin Wang from the University of Adelaide, Australia is on top of the list with a world ranking of 85.

Professor João Rocha from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil is the highest-ranking scientist from South America with a world ranking of 386.

Professor Roger A. Sheldon who is affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa is the first in Africa with a world ranking of 471.

The average H-index for the top 1% of scientists is 198 against an average of 105 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 87.

The average number of published articles for the top 1% of scientists in the ranking is 962 against an average of 504 for all 1000 scholars.

The average number of citations for the top 1% of scientists is 178,419 against an average of 45,416 for all 1000 scholars. The highest cited scientist is Michael Gratzel from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland with 287,785 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.