2022 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions in physical sciences (2024)

The 2022 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

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#	Institution	Share 2020	Share 2021	Count 2021	Change in Adjusted Share* 2020–2021
1	University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China	184.31	226.20	725	13.6%
2	Tsinghua University, China	165.16	210.70	765	18.1%
3	The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Japan	216.90	202.01	642	-13.8%
4	Peking University (PKU), China	166.78	185.79	766	3.1%
5	University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), China	143.25	179.74	1046	16.1%
6	Nanjing University (NJU), China	134.53	171.42	468	17.9%
7	Zhejiang University (ZJU), China	114.27	165.30	450	33.9%
8	Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), China	117.06	146.79	492	16.1%
9	Fudan University, China	90.35	129.12	428	32.3%
10	National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore	139.62	127.50	356	-15.5%
11	Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore	107.17	118.87	341	2.7%
12	Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea	107.66	108.71	260	-6.5%
13	Soochow University, China	78.64	108.25	252	27.4%
14	Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China	79.81	97.86	248	13.5%
15	Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), China	60.86	90.53	315	37.7%
16	Seoul National University (SNU), South Korea	78.08	89.98	284	6.7%
17	Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), China	83.02	87.30	281	-2.7%
18	Kyoto University, Japan	81.71	86.95	282	-1.5%
19	Sichuan University (SCU), China	47.46	81.47	172	58.9%
20	Tianjin University (TJU), China	56.04	80.85	209	33.5%
21	Nankai University (NKU), China	61.26	76.45	188	15.5%
22	Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), China	38.84	73.62	177	75.4%
23	Shandong University (SDU), China	43.24	69.69	236	49.2%
24	Jilin University (JLU), China	52.04	69.28	149	23.2%
25	Wuhan University (WHU), China	53.70	68.88	222	18.7%
26	Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), China	59.37	68.87	175	7.4%
27	Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), South Korea	50.87	68.42	192	24.5%
28	Hunan University (HNU), China	40.00	64.61	168	49.5%
29	Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), South Korea	50.39	64.00	221	17.6%
30	Beihang University (BUAA), China	54.25	62.84	305	7.2%
31	South China University of Technology (SCUT), China	41.75	61.46	140	36.2%
32	Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), India	38.80	60.56	188	44.4%
33	Yonsei University, South Korea	44.32	57.25	230	19.6%
34	Tohoku University, Japan	65.07	56.32	245	-19.9%
35	Tongji University, China	26.06	55.98	129	98.8%
36	City University of Hong Kong (CityU), China	42.73	54.68	163	18.4%
37	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), China	49.04	54.49	228	2.8%
38	Shenzhen University (SZU), China	33.32	53.37	153	48.3%
39	Lanzhou University (LZU), China	32.75	53.17	123	50.2%
40	University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Australia	43.13	52.74	170	13.2%
41	Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China	54.31	51.74	122	-11.8%
42	Xiamen University (XMU), China	50.93	49.22	130	-10.5%
43	The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), China	28.37	47.81	207	56.0%
44	Southeast University (SEU), China	32.70	47.69	150	35.0%
45	Osaka University, Japan	43.35	46.55	207	-0.6%
46	Indian Institute of Science (IISc), India	30.99	45.81	127	36.8%
47	Korea University, South Korea	41.15	43.42	210	-2.3%
48	Nagoya University, Japan	42.77	43.20	173	-6.5%
49	University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), China	32.03	41.87	107	21.0%
50	University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), China	37.52	41.50	116	2.4%
51	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), China	30.87	40.30	118	20.8%
52	Zhengzhou University (ZZU), China	25.78	39.76	203	42.7%
53	Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea	55.98	39.72	115	-34.3%
54	Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Japan	42.09	39.71	179	-12.7%
55	Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), China	25.58	39.71	87	43.7%
56	Chongqing University (CQU), China	25.69	38.57	93	39.0%
57	The University of Hong Kong (HKU), China	19.25	38.42	216	84.7%
58	Donghua University (DHU), China	25.53	36.19	76	31.2%
59	Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), China	23.01	36.19	119	45.5%
60	Australian National University (ANU), Australia	27.52	36.06	146	21.3%
61	Central South University (CSU), China	29.50	35.05	91	9.9%
62	Monash University, Australia	29.56	34.78	203	8.9%
63	East China Normal University (ECNU), China	32.98	33.65	115	-5.6%
64	South China Normal University (SCNU), China	16.28	33.57	131	90.8%
65	Beijing Normal University (BNU), China	36.88	31.53	108	-20.9%
66	Nanjing Tech University (NanjingTech), China	18.63	30.63	75	52.2%
67	Shanghai University (SHU), China	17.80	29.48	91	53.3%
68	Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), China	20.44	29.24	74	32.4%
69	Jinan University (JNU), China	19.08	29.23	65	41.8%
70	Dalian University of Technology (DUT), China	20.84	29.02	65	28.9%
71	National Taiwan University (NTU), Taiwan	40.52	28.75	159	-34.3%
72	The University of Melbourne (UniMelb), Australia	25.60	27.95	186	1.0%
73	The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia	25.88	27.41	91	-2.0%
74	The University of Sydney (USYD), Australia	21.46	26.94	171	16.1%
75	East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), China	10.32	26.93	57	141.4%
76	ShanghaiTech University, China	27.48	26.81	118	-9.7%
77	Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NUST), China	19.14	26.10	63	26.2%
78	Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Japan	21.60	25.59	57	9.7%
79	Hanyang University (HYU), South Korea	21.51	23.96	130	3.1%
80	Hokkaido University, Japan	25.25	23.53	70	-13.8%
81	National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan	25.46	23.07	132	-16.1%
82	Kyushu University, Japan	25.94	22.88	109	-18.4%
83	Nanjing Normal University (NNU), China	9.30	20.83	107	107.3%
84	Central China Normal University (CCNU), China	16.16	19.92	118	14.1%
85	The University of Western Australia (UWA), Australia	10.76	18.99	98	63.3%
86	Anhui University (AHU), China	12.64	18.99	73	39.1%
87	Fuzhou University (FZU), China	8.37	18.96	54	109.7%
88	Henan University (HENU), China	11.01	18.96	50	59.3%
89	Keio University, Japan	16.52	18.80	51	5.3%
90	Hunan Normal University (HUNNU), China	17.70	18.76	54	-1.9%
91	Xidian University, China	12.36	18.31	38	37.1%
92	Shanxi University (SXU), China	16.79	17.81	105	-1.8%
93	Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), South Korea	14.27	17.54	47	13.8%
94	Ningbo University (NBU), China	5.74	17.41	42	180.6%
95	National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), Taiwan	17.44	17.21	58	-8.7%
96	Yangzhou University (YZU), China	13.20	17.04	54	19.5%
97	Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore	9.12	17.02	45	72.7%
98	Shaanxi Normal University (SNNU), China	9.60	16.94	35	63.3%
99	Renmin University of China (RUC), China	10.18	16.79	46	52.6%
100	University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia	17.20	16.66	72	-10.4%

Footnote

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences and health sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 145 natural-science and health-science journals. The journals were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields. The list is reviewed periodically and journals may be removed or added. Articles from eLife were no longer included in the Nature Index from 2023 after the journal changed its publishing model.
Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
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The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen research leaders.

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