HKU Science Academics Achieve Top Accolades in 2024 Best Scientists Rankings

HKU Science distinguished scholars have been named by the international academic website Research.com among the top 100 best scientists globally in their respective disciplines in 2024. 

Notably, HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Xiang ZHANG in physics and Professor Guochun ZHAO in Earth Science have been recognised as the highest-ranked in Asia within their fields out of a total of 26 disciplines. This further cements HKU's reputation for academic excellence on the global stage. Impressively, the remaining HKU professors were also ranked as the highest-achieving scholars in China across their respective 26 research areas.

Additionally, Professor Juha MERILÄ from the School of Biological Sciences was ranked 3^rd in China under the Ecology and Evolution category.

The rankings are determined by a scientist's D-index (Discipline H-index), which solely considers publication and citation data within a specific discipline. This recognition highlights the significant contributions of these professors to their fields and the substantial impact their work has had on society. It also demonstrates HKU's dedication to research excellence and innovation, inspiring the University to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge and making a lasting, positive impact on the world.

Chemistry
Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart (21^st globally, 2^nd in China)
Chair Professor, the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Professor Chi-Ming CHE (71^st globally, 5^th in China)
Zhou Guangzhao Professor in Natural Sciences and Chair Professor, the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Earth Science
Guochun ZHAO (8^th globally, 1^st in Asia)
Chair Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science

Professor Min SUN (20^th globally, 4^th in China)
Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science

Ecology and Evolution

Professor Juha MERILÄ (238^th globally, 3^rd in China)

Chair Professor in Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences

Environmental Sciences
Professor Peng GONG (76^th globally, 3^rd in China)
Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Chair Professor of Global Sustainability

Material Science
Professor Hongjie Dai (11^th globally, 2^nd in China)
Chair Professor, the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Physics
Professor Xiang ZHANG (82^nd globally, 1^st in Asia)
President and Vice-Chancellor; Chair of Physics, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science