The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has once again demonstrated its research excellence by securing a remarkable position in Stanford University's latest 2025 Top 2% Scientists ranking. The "Single recent year" and "Career Long" categories include 434 and 376 HKU scholars respectively, the highest among all local universities. Notably, 53 scholars are ranked within the top 100 worldwide for their annual impact, while 42 are similarly recognized for their lifetime influence within their academic fields.
According to Stanford University's latest 2025 Top 2% Scientists rankings for single recent year, Professor Guochun Zhao, Chair Professor at the Research Division of Earth & Planetary Sciences and Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, and Professor Xiang Zhang, HKU President, are both ranked among the top 10 globally in their respective areas. Professor Zhao secured 4th place worldwide in Geochemistry and Geophysics, while Professor Zhang ranked 6th globally in the field of Optics.
Furthermore, the global career-long impact rankings, four HKU scholars are listed among the top scientists. Professor Guochun Zhao, is ranked seventh overall, with other leading scholars including Professor Hongjie Dai, Department of Chemistry, ranked ninth in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology; Professor Peng Gong, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development) in Geological and Geomatics Engineering, ranked tenth; and Professor Fan, Sheung Tat, Emeritus Professor, Department of Surgery, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, also ranked tenth.
Stanford's list of the Top 2% Scientists is compiled into two categories: one based on career-long impact from 1960 to 2024, and the other on recent (2024) research influence. The ranking aims to recognize both lifelong scholarly achievement and current research excellence. Over 100,000 top scientists worldwide are categorized across 22 disciplines and 174 sub-fields, with rankings derived from multiple indicators, including citation counts, research output, and a composite citation impact metric, with data up to 2024.
