Stanford University in the United States has released the latest “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list,
highlighting the top 2% of scientists across five major fields: natural sciences, applied sciences, health
sciences, economics and social sciences, and arts and humanities. The list recognizes the elite scientists
globally from a pool of 10.25 million researchers worldwide. This year, 1,759 scholars from Taiwan were
named in the “Lifetime Scientific Impact Ranking,” while 1,407 were included in the “Annual Scientific
Impact Ranking.” Among them, nine professors from ISU received this honor, showcasing the university’s
dedication to academic research excellence. ISU has made significant contributions to the international
academic community and remains committed to nurturing talent.
In the “Lifetime Scientific Impact Ranking (1960–2023),” several professors from ISU received recognition, including Distinguished Chair Professor Po-Huang Lee from the School of Medicine for International Students, Professor Chih-Huang Weng from the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Sheng-Rui Jian from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Professor Li-Yeh Chuang from the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Professor Hao-Tien Liu from the Department of Industrial Management. In the “Annual Scientific Impact Ranking”, honorees include Professor Chih-Huang Weng from the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Huy-Zu Cheng from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Professor Shu-Mei Tseng from the Department of Hospitality Management, Dr. Yao-Chun Hsu, Director of Graduate Institute of Medicine and Professor of School of Medicine, and Professor I-Ting Tsai of the School of Medicine. Notably, Professor Chih-Huang Weng was listed in both rankings, further showcasing his significant academic contributions in the field of environmental engineering, which have earned widespread international recognition.
The “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list, now in its fifth year, is compiled by experts at Stanford University using Scopus data to assess citation impact. The rankings are divided into the “Lifetime Scientific Impact Ranking” and the “Annual Scientific Impact Ranking,” based on six key metrics: “total citations, Hirsch h-index, Schreiber Hm-index (adjusted for co-authors), citations of single-author papers, citations of single or first-author papers, and citations of single, first, or last-author papers.” The rankings span 22 major disciplines and 174 subfields and emphasize overall citation impact and author contribution. The inclusion of ISU professors in this prestigious list underscores their academic excellence, showcasing their international recognition and achievements in the face of intense global competition.
ISU has nurtured countless outstanding talents in Taiwan and abroad, standing as a benchmark for comprehensive universities in southern Taiwan. In June, ISU was recognized by AI pioneer Jensen Huang as an NVIDIA partner school. In July, the university collaborated with NVIDIA to establish a Studio equipped with the advanced NVIDIA Omniverse platform, enabling the integration of AI technology into the curricula of all nine colleges and fostering AI expertise across diverse disciplines. Additionally, the Culinary Arts and Sciences Department faculty and students created “The Grace of the Earth – Cocoa,” a masterpiece inspired by Pingtung’s cocoa agricultural culture. This work earned a bronze medal in the chocolate craftsmanship category at the IKA Culinary Olympics 2024 in Germany, gaining international acclaim. With its “comprehensive” strengths and unwavering support from its affiliated group, ISU continues to excel in higher education. Its strong academic and research foundation ensures that students are the primary beneficiaries of its efforts.
