Best Scientists from HKU in Research.com 2025
— by Zesen Gao
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) continues to be home to distinguished scholars and researchers excelling across diverse fields. Following our previous blog post, this update provides insights based on the latest available data retrieved from the platform.
Research.com’s Best Scientists rankings cover 26 disciplines, utilizing data from sources like OpenAlex and CrossRef. Details on the methodology can be found at the Research.com website. Based on data accessed on June 13, 2025, 255 unique researchers with stated affiliation to HKU are named in the rankings across their respective disciplines.
Note: The affiliations are as recorded on Research.com on the date of retrieval, and may not reflect current situation.
Figure 1 – Total Number of Best Scientists from HKU Recognized by Research.com from 2022 to 2025
Overall Statistics
Among the 255 unique HKU scholars identified, 30 individuals are ranked in more than one area, resulting in a total of 285 ranking records across 24 distinct disciplines.
Figure 2 – Numbers of Records for the Ranked Best Scientists from HKU from 2022 to 2025
Of the 285 records, the disciplines with the highest number of ranked HKU scholars are:
- Medicine (49 records)
- Computer Science (30 records)
- Microbiology (25 records)
Figure 3 – Number of Records for the Ranked Best Scientists from HKU by Discipline
National Ranking
Within the national context for their respective fields, HKU scholars achieved significant recognition:
- 6 records achieved the top 1 in the nation.
- 17 records ranked within the top 2-10.
- 68 records ranked between top 11 and 50.
- 46 records ranked from top 51 to 100.
Figure 4 – Number of Best Scientists from HKU Named in the National Ranking
Specifically, the following researchers (associated with 6 ranking records) achieved first place in the national ranking for their discipline(s):
Table 1 – Best Scientists from HKU Ranked First in National Ranking (By Disciplines)
| Name (in alphabetical order by surname) | Discipline |
| Professor Stone Sweet, Alec | Law |
| Professor Stone Sweet, Alec | Political Science |
| Professor Yip, Paul Siu Fai | Social Sciences and Humanities |
| Professor Yuen, Kwok Yung | Microbiology |
| Professor Zhang, Xiang | Physics |
| Professor Zhao, Guochun | Earth Science |
Note: Prof. Stone Sweet ranked top 1 in two disciplines.
Note: Professor Mak, Tak Wah is an Honorary Professor at HKU, who is also affiliated with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Canada. He ranked the first in Molecular Biology in the National ranking of Canada.
World Ranking
HKU scholars ranked within the top 100 in the world for their disciplines are as follows.
Table 2 – Best Scientists from HKU Ranked Top 100 in World Ranking (By Disciplines)
| Name (in alphabetical order by surname) | Discipline | World Rank |
| Dr Chan, Kwok Hung | Microbiology | 92 |
| Professor Che, Chi Ming | Chemistry | 79 |
| Professor Dai, Hongjie | Materials Science | 17 |
| Professor Gong, Peng | Environmental Sciences | 65 |
| Professor Mak, Tak Wah * | Molecular Biology | 9 |
| Professor Stone Sweet, Alec | Law | 72 |
| Professor Sun, Min | Earth Science | 20 |
| Professor Tang, Chuyang | Engineering and Technology | 52 |
| Professor Yip, Paul Siu Fai | Social Sciences and Humanities | 49 |
| Professor Yuen, Kwok Yung | Microbiology | 7 |
| Professor Zhang, Xiang | Physics | 48 |
| Professor Zhao, Guochun | Earth Science | 6 |
Note: Professor Mak, Tak Wah is an Honorary Professor at HKU, who is also affiliated with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Canada.
Limitations
Rankings like Research.com Best Scientists are based on citations, which could be inherently biased, and not the same as “quality”.
Replication is another issue as the methodology and data sources are not completely transparent.
Qualitative aspects should also be considered for a more comprehensive picture of research impact.
Extended reading: Presenting Research Impact: Metrics, Misuse, and Movement
Conclusion
While mindful of the limitations inherent in citation-based rankings, we are pleased to observe the continued recognition of the impactful research conducted by HKU scholars on platforms like Research.com.
