In this year’s Stanford University and Elsevier annual list of the world’s top two percent of scientists, 6,239 Indian researchers made the cut this year — a rise from last year’s 5,300. The rankings, based on Scopus data up to August 2025, measure both career-long citation impact and single-year influence (2024) across 22 fields and 174 subfields. “Top 2% Scientists List” is not an official Stanford ranking, but an independent bibliometric database maintained by Ioannidis and team, using public citation data.
The rankings published in September 2025 are based on Scopus bibliometric data (snapshot up to ~1 August 2025) and consider both long-term career metrics and single-year performance (2024). Inclusion is determined by being among the top 100,000 scientists by composite score (c-score) or ranking in the top 2% of one’s scientific subfield. To be included, an author generally needs at least 5 papers published. The 2025 update (as per a site summarizing the methodology) uses a Scopus snapshot as of August 1, 2025, covering citations up to the end of 2024.
The 2025 Top 2% Scientists list by Stanford/Elsevier confirms that India is not just a spectator but an increasingly strong contributor in global science. The leading institutions continue to perform well, but there’s also promising growth in regions and universities beyond the traditional heavyweights. As citation metrics become more central in global benchmarking, India’s strategy — both at institutional and policy levels — seems to be bearing fruit. Indian scientists are strongly represented in engineering, medicine, computer science, and physical sciences, with a growing footprint in interdisciplinary fields.
As expected, premier public institutions (IISc, IITs) lead. This reflects long-standing investment, strong research infrastructure, and established faculty. But the findings also show that smaller and less globally known universities are gradually getting represented too. The hierarchy of Indian universities (career-long) in terms of number of scientists featured is: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru (134), IIT Delhi (105), IIT Kharagpur (91), IIT Madras (75), IIT Bombay (70), IIT Roorkee (56), IIT Kanpur (49). Universities like Jadavpur (40), Banaras Hindu University, University of Delhi, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre also figure among the higher ranks. Telugu states (Andhra Pradesh + Telangana) together have over 150 scientists represented. University of Hyderabad and IIT Hyderabad are notable contributors. The list also includes 49 faculty members from Lovely Professional University (LPU) representing 21 research domains, Marwadi University (17), Nagaland University (4).
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s 37 faculty members have been featured in Stanford University’s 2025 list of the world’s top 2% scientists, marking the sixth consecutive year that Amrita scholars have earned this recognition. This year’s recognition is spread across three categories: 13 Amrita faculty were honored for their career-long impact, acknowledging a lifetime of contributions to science, 36 faculty were recognized for their single-year impact (2024–25), reflecting their recent work across diverse disciplines and 12 scholars achieved the rare distinction of dual recognition, appearing in both categories for their sustained contributions. Speaking on this achievement, Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, Vice Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said, “Behind every number is a story of years of dedication, inquiry, and perseverance. To see 36 of our faculty recognized on a global platform like Stanford’s list is deeply inspiring. It reflects not only their personal excellence but also Amrita’s ethos of research guided by compassion and a commitment to solving society’s most pressing challenges.”
The following Amrita scholars have been recognized for their lifetime contributions to science and research:
Dr. P. Venkat Rangan – Vice Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh – Provost, Strategic Initiatives, Research & Innovation, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Dr. Rangasamy Jayakumar – Professor, Amrita School of Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, Kochi
Dr. Pathirissery Uma Devi – Associate Professor, Pharmacology, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Kochi
Dr. Shantikumar Vasudevan Nair – Associate Provost of Academics, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Dr. Sunit Chandra Singhi – Head, Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, Faridabad
Dr. R. Krishnakumar – Professor, Paediatric Cardiology, School of Medicine, Kochi
Dr. Pratibha D. Singhi – Head, Paediatric Neurology, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad
Dr. Kavumpurathu Raman Thankappan – Head, Public Health, School of Medicine, Kochi
Dr. N. Radhika – Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore
Dr. Bijo Mathew – Professor, Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Kochi
Dr. Soman Kotti Padannayil – Dean, School of Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Aditya Kumar Sahu – Associate Professor, School of Computing, Amaravati
Young lot
Dr. Sarika Chaturvedi from Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Pimpri, whose work delves into identifying populations at risk of diseases and their geographical distribution, historical alterations and future predictions and includes her studies on the effect of ‘Government of India’s Common Yoga Protocol on brain functions in adults,’ is among the top 2%.
While the recognition reflects India’s growing clout in global science, researchers and policymakers caution that citation counts alone cannot capture innovation or societal impact. Universities are being urged to build on the momentum with stronger funding, international collaborations, and mentoring of young faculty.
The 2025 list signals a clear message: Indian science is gaining ground globally — but the challenge is to convert citations into breakthroughs.
