Analysis of Stanford University’s 2025 (Single Year) Top 2% Scientists List – Taiwan

The 2025 Stanford Top 2% Scientists (Single Year) list highlights Taiwan’s growing global impact in research excellence. Below is an analysis of the distribution of researchers across institutions, subjects, and individual rankings.

Institutional Distribution

The first figure shows that National Taiwan University (NTU) dominates the list with 137 researchers, far ahead of others. Following NTU are National Cheng Kung University (88), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (76), and National Tsing Hua University (69). Medical and technological institutions such as Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (47) and National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (44) also feature prominently.

This concentration shows the dual leadership of general universities (NTU, NCKU, NTHU) and medical/technology-focused institutions (Chang Gung, Taipei Medical University) in Taiwan’s research output.

Subject-Wise Representation

The second figure highlights that Clinical Medicine dominates with 398 Taiwanese researchers, accounting for the largest share. This aligns with Taiwan’s strength in public health, hospitals, and medical universities.

Other strong areas include:

• Enabling & Strategic Technologies (197)
• Information & Communication Technologies (193)
• Engineering (169)
• Physics & Astronomy (116)

This indicates Taiwan’s dual emphasis on healthcare and technology research, which mirrors national priorities in biomedical sciences and ICT development.

Top Individual Researchers

The third figure presents the top-ranked scientists from Taiwan based on global word rankings.

• Yeh, Jien Wei (Rank 103) is the highest-ranked researcher, showcasing Taiwan’s strong global recognition in his field.
• Other notable names include Ho, Yuhshan (595), Chen, Yushan (607), and Hwang, Gwojen (667), all ranking within the top 1,000.
• Prominent contributors such as Chen, Liang-Kung (2792) and Tsai, Chin Chung (3182) highlight Taiwan’s depth across different research domains.
• On the global spectrum, Gupta, B. B. (5648), though with a higher numerical ranking, remains among the internationally recognized scientists.

It is important to note that in this ranking system, a lower number means a higher rank. Thus, researchers like Yeh and Ho reflect Taiwan’s strongest presence in the global scientific community.

Key Insights

1. NTU leads Taiwan’s contribution, consolidating its position as the premier research hub.
2. Medicine dominates, followed by engineering and ICT, reflecting Taiwan’s healthcare and technology-driven development model.
3. Top individual researchers such as Yeh, Ho, and Chen place Taiwan prominently in the global elite, with contributions spanning medicine, physics, and ICT.

Conclusion

The 2025 Stanford (Single Year) Top 2% List underscores Taiwan’s global competitiveness in science and technology, particularly in medicine and ICT. Taiwan’s universities, medical institutions, and scientists continue to shape international research landscapes, strengthening the country’s role in innovation and scientific advancement.

References

1. Ioannidis, John P.A. (2025), “August 2025 data-update for “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators””, Elsevier Data Repository, V8, doi: 10.17632/btchxktzyw.8

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