Stanford University, USA names world’s top 2% scientists, 2023

• The list includes 76 institutions and 187 scientist from Pakistan
• Dr. ZulfiQar A Bhutta, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf and Dr. Tasawar Hayat secure the first, second, and third positions respectively
•  Quaid-i-Azam University, The Agha Khan University, and the University of Agriculture make the most significant contributions

Written by Prof. Dr. Saeed Akhtar

There have been various methods employed to assess the performance of both institutions and individual scientists within their respective specialized fields on a global scale. Numerous indicators have been established for such evaluations, with specific benchmarks set to gauge the ranking of both researchers and institutions. In recent years, authors from Stanford University, USA, have undertaken the task of collating extensive data from multiple sources related to citation scores, h-indices, co-authorship adjusted hm-indices, citations to papers in various authorship positions, as well as a composite indicator, and several other metrics. They have been annually publishing a list of the top 2% scientists in the world based on this data. Version 6 recently released, is based on the data available up to October 1, 2023, from Scopus, updated to include information up to the end of the citation year 2022.

This ranking distinguishes between career-long impact and recent single-year impact. The selection criteria are based on being among the top 100,000 scientists according to c-score (with and without self-citations) or having a percentile rank of 2% or higher in their respective sub-fields. What’s particularly noteworthy is that these metrics take into consideration both citations with and without self-citations, as well as the ratio of citations to citing papers. The ranking encompasses 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields, with scientists classified according to the standard Science-Metrix classification system. Career-long data are updated up to the end of 2022, while the data for the single recent year pertain to citations received during the calendar year 2022.

Prof. Dr. Z.A. Bhutta

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Prof. Dr. Tasawar Hayat

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashraf

Based on data from researchers’ entire careers, 187 scientists from various fields of specializations in Pakistan (Table-1), hailing from 76 national universities and higher education institutions, both public and private sectors, have been featured in the aforementioned list of the world’s top 2% scientists for the year 2023 (Table-2). Amongst these Pakistani Scientists,  Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Professor Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, and Professor Dr. Tassawar Hayat, representing Agha Khan University, University of Lahore, and Quaid Azam University, respectively, have secured the first, second, and third positions . When considering the number of scientists from a single institution on the list, Quaid Azam University Islamabad has claimed the top spot with 18 scientists, followed by Agha Khan University with 13, and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad with 12, securing second and third positions, respectively. The data also reveal a significant presence of potential scientists, hailing from University of the Punjab (10) and University of Karachi (9). It seems a positive sign that 51 universities in Pakistan, each represented by one scientist, have made it onto the ranking list. However, it’s worth noting that several well-known universities, particularly from the private sector, didn’t make the cut.

Here, a significant question arises concerning if these universities have contemplated acknowledging these scientists for their exceptional achievements in their specialized fields, which has resulted in their inclusion in the list, prepared by authors from one of the most esteemed educational institutions in the United States of America. Similarly, the most dependable and conscientious regulatory bodies dedicated to enhancing academic and research standards in Pakistan have a role to play in motivating these Pakistani scientists for their contributions in the field of science and technology. This is particularly crucial as the neighboring countries have been leveraging these rankings at all levels to bolster their positions in the realm of science and technology. HEC, Islamabad and the relevant ministries are expected to take specific measures to support universities that may not have a significant number of scientists on the list or those academic institutions that have not yet been part of this academic recognition.

The author, Prof. Dr. Saeed Akhtar, Dean Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition from Bahauddin Zakariya University, has been placed at No. 62 among Pakistani scientists featured in the list of the world’s top 2% scientists. He can be accessed  at saaedakhtar@bzu.edu.pk