Clarivate Analytics unveiled its latest Essential Science Indicators (ESI) data on May 9, announcing that the Chemistry discipline at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) has been ranked among the world’s top 1‰ disciplines for the first time.

This significant feat marks a second discipline from the University to secure a position in the top 1‰ of disciplines globally.

At the same time, three new disciplines from SUSTech have been ranked among ESI’s global top 1%: Immunology, Microbiology, and Social Sciences, General.

With this latest recognition, SUSTech now boasts two disciplines within the ESI top 1‰ globally – Materials Science and Chemistry. The University’s number of disciplines within the top 1% of the ESI ranking data list has expanded to 14: Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Clinical Medicine, Environment/Ecology, Geosciences, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Computer Science, Biology & Biochemistry, Immunology, Microbiology, Plant & Animal Science, and Social Sciences, General.

SUSTech’s Chemistry discipline entered the top 1% of the ESI ranking data list in July 2018, building on its momentum since then. Boasting 4,087 SCI papers, 101,592 citations, and 129 highly cited papers, it stands at the apex of the global research landscape, ranking in the top 0.888‰ of the ESI worldwide. This ESI ranking is based on citation statistics covering the period from January 2014 to February 2024.

Currently, the University has been approved for doctoral and master’s degree authorization in Chemistry, with an undergraduate major in Chemistry. It was designated as a national first-class undergraduate major construction site, a first-class undergraduate major construction site in Guangdong Province, and a key discipline in Guangdong Province. Additionally, a postdoctoral research center in Chemistry was approved in October 2023.

Spanning diverse research fields including inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry/computational chemistry, analytical chemistry/chemical biology, chemical engineering, and polymer chemistry, the discipline has left an indelible mark with over 730 publications in top-tier journals with an impact factor greater than 10, such as Science, Nature, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Its research achievements have garnered recognition in leading publications like Nature, Nature Chemistry, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition, with their results featured in highlight articles.

The ESI is an analytical tool that helps identify high-impact research based on the Web of Science Core Collection. By surveying over 12,000 journals worldwide indexed by SCI and SSCI over a rolling 10-year period, ESI identifies top-performing authors, institutions, countries, and journals in 22 broad fields based on publication and citation performance. It serves as an important indicator for evaluating the international academic level and influence of academic institutions and universities.