What the Global Top Scientist Ranking Reveals About Chinese Researchers

The “Global Top Scientist Ranking” evaluates scholars based on research output, Google Scholar Metrics journal scores, H‑index, citation counts, and author position, reflecting both productivity and academic influence.

First released in 2018 (PLOS Biology, 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000384), the ranking is published annually; the third edition appeared on October 20, 2021 (https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/3).

The 2021 edition includes 186,177 scientists from 22 disciplinary areas. Researchers from the United States number 75,899 (40.7% of the total). Mainland China contributes 6,943 scientists, Hong Kong 1,018, Macau 31, and Taiwan 1,018, together representing roughly 5% of all entries.

None of the top‑100 scientists are from China. Among the top‑200, five mainland scholars appear: Donald B. Rubin (Tsinghua University, rank 104), Akihisa Inoue (Tianjin University, rank 126), Zhu Jiankang (Southern University of Science and Technology, rank 150), He Jihuan (Soochow University, rank 180), and Xu Zeshui (Sichuan University, rank 193).

In the life‑science domain (Biology, Biomedical Research, Clinical Medicine, Agriculture), 695 mainland Chinese scientists are listed, with the top‑100 shown in the image below.

Notably, Zhu Jiankang ranks first among all Chinese‑origin scientists across disciplines. He focuses on epigenetics and plant stress biology, making significant advances in DNA‑methylation regulation under drought, salinity, and low‑temperature stress, as well as in gene‑editing technologies and the screening of small‑molecule compounds for plant resilience.

To date, Zhu has authored over 500 papers, including 19 in top journals such as Nature, Science, and Cell. His work has been cited nearly 140,000 times, giving him an H‑index of 176—one of the highest citation rates in the life‑science field worldwide. Since January 2022, he has been a full‑time chair professor and director of the Frontier Biotechnology Institute at Southern University of Science and Technology, while also serving as vice‑chair of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Academic Committee and director of several national innovation and gene‑editing laboratories.

Editor: 万能的大雄

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