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ETH Zurich vs Max Planck Society

On research quality in 2022-now, Max Planck Society ranks #7 in the world and ETH Zurich #9, of 22,385 institutions. ETH Zurich stands higher in 9 of the 16 fields both publish in, Max Planck Society in 7.

Research profiles alike: 0.80very similar shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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ETH Zurich

Switzerland · Zurich

World rank, 2022-now
#9
#6 all time
Works, 2022-now
16k
fractional
Top-10% rate
17.0%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
48%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics, Theoretical Computer Science, Geophysics.

Max Planck Society

Germany · Munich

World rank, 2022-now
#7
#5 all time
Works, 2022-now
27k
fractional
Top-10% rate
15.2%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
37%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Structural Biology, Instrumentation, Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Who leads, measure by measure?

ETH Zurich leads on 6 of 8 measures: citation excellence for its fields, top-10% rate, citations per work, open access, international co-authorship and growth. Max Planck Society leads on 2 of 8 measures: research quality and output.

ETH Zurich 62 Max Planck Society
  1. #9Research qualityworld rank of 22,385 institutions, 2022-now#7
  2. 1.69×Citation excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.59×
  3. 16kOutputfractional works, 2022-now27k
  4. 17.0%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited15.2%
  5. 41.9Citations per workall time, per fractional work36.9
  6. 48%Open accessof its works free to read, all time37%
  7. 36%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time27%
  8. -7%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change-37%

A rank is drawn as its standing: the longer the bar, the nearer the top. Anything else is drawn against the larger of the two, and two values a hair apart are called level. Quality, citation excellence and the top-10% rate are explained in the methodology.

Who leads in each field?

ETH Zurich stands higher in 9 of 16 fields, Max Planck Society in 7. ETH Zurich leads most in Environmental Science (#3 against #23); Max Planck Society leads most in Social Sciences (#7 against #50). Each bar is that side's standing among all institutions ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

ETH Zurich 97 Max Planck Society
  1. #8Agricultural and Biological Sciences#11
  2. #8Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#5
  3. #13Business, Management and Accounting-
  4. #5Chemistry#2
  5. #4Computer Science#27
  6. #3Earth and Planetary Sciences-
  7. #12Economics, Econometrics and Finance-
  8. #10Engineering#40
  9. #3Environmental Science#23
  10. #14Materials Science#11
  11. #5Mathematics#8
  12. #51Medicine#63
  13. -Neuroscience#7
  14. #6Physics and Astronomy#2
  15. -Psychology#10
  16. #50Social Sciences#7

Standing is the percentile of world rank within each field, 2022-now; the printed number is the rank itself. A dash means the field is too small there to rank. How sides are compared.

The numbers behind each field

Click a heading to sort. The side that does better in a pair of columns is shaded: a lower rank, a higher rate, more works.

Field ETH Zurich rankMax Planck Society rank ETH Zurich top 10%Max Planck Society top 10% ETH Zurich worksMax Planck Society works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #8 #11 24.4% 19.2% 474 832
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #8 #5 17.0% 17.6% 947 2.2k
Business, Management and Accounting #13 - 17.9% - 216 -
Chemistry #5 #2 16.0% 17.8% 457 778
Computer Science #4 #27 18.6% 16.3% 1.7k 1.4k
Earth and Planetary Sciences #3 - 17.7% - 705 -
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #12 - 16.5% - 263 -
Engineering #10 #40 16.0% 14.5% 3.4k 2.6k
Environmental Science #3 #23 18.2% 15.3% 1k 978
Materials Science #14 #11 13.7% 13.9% 680 1.3k
Mathematics #5 #8 15.8% 17.2% 428 506
Medicine #51 #63 18.5% 16.4% 999 1.3k
Neuroscience - #7 - 17.2% - 822
Physics and Astronomy #6 #2 17.0% 16.4% 1k 3.7k
Psychology - #10 - 18.6% - 669
Social Sciences #50 #7 21.5% 13.2% 698 3.5k

Where does each put its research?

Not who is better, but what each side chooses to work on. A country or institution that puts twice the world's share of its research into a field sits at 2×, whatever its size.

  1. Earth and Planetary Sciences3.5× 1.6×
  2. Engineering1.5× 0.7×
  3. Computer Science1.5× 0.8×
  4. Veterinary0.6× 0.3×
  5. Environmental Science1.6× 0.9×
  6. Nursing0.4× 0.3×
  7. Mathematics2.5× 1.8×
  8. Decision Sciences1.2× 0.9×
  9. Chemical Engineering2.1× 1.6×
  10. Medicine0.4× 0.3×
  11. Business, Management and Accounting0.4× 0.4×
  12. Energy1.2× 1.2×
  13. Chemistry2.0× 2.1×
  14. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.5× 0.5×
  15. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.7× 0.8×
  16. Health Professions0.3× 0.3×
  17. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.8× 0.9×
  18. Materials Science1.4× 1.5×
  19. Immunology and Microbiology0.5× 0.6×
  20. Dentistry0.1× 0.1×
  21. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.3× 1.8×
  22. Neuroscience1.1× 2.1×
  23. Physics and Astronomy3.2× 6.9×
  24. Psychology0.4× 0.9×
  25. Arts and Humanities0.3× 0.9×
  26. Social Sciences0.4× 1.2×
ETH ZurichMax Planck Society

Location quotient in 2022-now: the share of each side's research in the field over the world's share. 1× is the world's balance; the axis runs from a quarter of it to four times. Fields where ETH Zurich leans further are at the top, Max Planck Society's at the bottom. How research profiles are compared.

What is each known for?

The keywords that describe each side's research, by fractional works in 2022-now and weighted toward what it does more of than the world.

ETH Zurich

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's
All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Climate Change854▲ 1.92×101 topics
  2. Deep Learning736▲ 1.30×78 topics
  3. Machine Learning688▲ 1.26×84 topics
  4. Sustainability457◆ 1.14×98 topics
  5. Neural Networks359▲ 1.42×39 topics
  6. Remote Sensing354▲ 1.77×34 topics
  7. Biomedical Applications324▲ 1.67×35 topics
  8. Renewable Energy321▲ 1.35×46 topics
  9. Environmental Impact314◆ 1.12×59 topics
  10. Nanoparticles284▲ 1.37×43 topics
  11. Global Warming252▲ 3.6×14 topics
  12. Catalysis218▲ 1.99×28 topics
  13. Greenhouse Gas Emissions191▲ 4.2×8 topics
  14. Biosensors187▲ 2.3×12 topics
  15. Additive Manufacturing183▲ 3.6×8 topics
  16. Molecular Dynamics154▲ 5.4×6 topics
  17. 3D Printing148▲ 4.1×5 topics
  18. Self-Assembly148▲ 2.8×12 topics
  19. Tomography146▲ 5.0×5 topics
  20. Fluid Dynamics141▲ 6.1×6 topics
  21. Plate Tectonics129▲ 5.2×3 topics
  22. Hydrological Cycle124▲ 7.5×2 topics
  23. Approximation Algorithms118▲ 9.8×5 topics
  24. Ocean Circulation118▲ 5.3×3 topics
  25. Entanglement115▲ 4.7×4 topics
  26. Superconductivity110▲ 3.9×9 topics
  27. Air Quality108▲ 3.5×6 topics
  28. Hydrogels108▲ 3.4×5 topics
  29. Extreme Events105▲ 7.0×2 topics
  30. Inverse Problems100▲ 5.4×4 topics
  31. Data Assimilation99▲ 3.7×4 topics
  32. Sea Level Rise96▲ 4.7×3 topics
  33. Nonlinear Optics95▲ 5.4×4 topics
  34. Boundary Layer92▲ 4.5×4 topics
  35. Geodetic Measurements92▲ 5.3×2 topics
  36. Climate Modeling88▲ 7.2×1 topic
  37. Precipitation Extremes88▲ 7.2×1 topic
  38. Algorithmic Applications80▲ 14×2 topics
  39. Subduction78▲ 6.4×3 topics
  40. Earthquakes71▲ 7.6×1 topic

Max Planck Society

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's
All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Legal Regulation966▲ 16×8 topics
  2. Climate Change961▲ 1.29×113 topics
  3. Human Rights873▲ 3.1×81 topics
  4. Globalization628▲ 1.17×133 topics
  5. History612▲ 3.2×47 topics
  6. Ethnicity586▲ 5.7×21 topics
  7. Economic Security580▲ 10.0×7 topics
  8. Philosophy566▲ 4.7×34 topics
  9. Culture563▲ 3.9×30 topics
  10. Literature548▲ 3.7×43 topics
  11. Social Influence525▲ 9.1×3 topics
  12. Science524▲ 7.8×11 topics
  13. International Trade Law504▲ 14×2 topics
  14. Public Oversight497▲ 15×1 topic
  15. Transport Policy497▲ 15×1 topic
  16. Foresight495▲ 14×2 topics
  17. Modernization491▲ 9.8×4 topics
  18. Islam490▲ 8.7×5 topics
  19. Design482▲ 11×5 topics
  20. Sharia Law482▲ 12×2 topics
  21. Strategic Planning481▲ 12×4 topics
  22. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles481▲ 9.3×3 topics
  23. Air Force479▲ 15×1 topic
  24. Warfare479▲ 15×1 topic
  25. Malay Language477▲ 12×1 topic
  26. International Law441▲ 5.1×31 topics
  27. Turbulence360▲ 15×4 topics
  28. Molecular Dynamics329▲ 6.8×7 topics
  29. Black Holes326▲ 12×3 topics
  30. Digital Economy299▲ 5.4×20 topics
  31. Dark Matter294▲ 9.3×4 topics
  32. Star Formation286▲ 19×2 topics
  33. Magnetic Fields269▲ 15×3 topics
  34. Superconductivity268▲ 5.6×9 topics
  35. Accretion Disks264▲ 19×2 topics
  36. Gravitational Waves259▲ 17×2 topics
  37. Entanglement256▲ 6.2×4 topics
  38. Supernovae233▲ 10×2 topics
  39. Cosmology202▲ 11×4 topics
  40. Diagnostics199▲ 9.3×3 topics

Size is fractional works in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of the side's work against its share of the world's. Each word links to the topic it comes from most.

How has their output grown?

Max Planck Society has out-published ETH Zurich every year since 1980.

still counting5k10k15kMax Planck Society6,910 in 2025ETH Zurich3,467 in 20251990200020102020

Fractional works per year.

Their share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share, because all of science grows. Each line is a side as a percentage of every work published that year.

still counting0.25%0.50%0.75%Max Planck Society0.12% in 2025ETH Zurich0.059% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

The share of each side's works, year by year, that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. The average of all institutions is 10.0% (why not 10%).

still counting10%20%30%ETH Zurich15.7% in 2025Max Planck Society14.1% in 2025200020102020

A year with under 1% of the side's peak output is left out: a rate over a handful of papers says nothing. The latest years are still being cited.

Which publishes more research, ETH Zurich or Max Planck Society?

Max Planck Society publishes 1.7× as much research as ETH Zurich in 2022-now (27k against 16k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, ETH Zurich or Max Planck Society?

17.0% of ETH Zurich's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 15.2% for Max Planck Society.

Is ETH Zurich or Max Planck Society growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was -7% against 2018-21 for ETH Zurich, and -37% for Max Planck Society.

Which has more open access research, ETH Zurich or Max Planck Society?

48% of ETH Zurich's research is free to read, against 37% of Max Planck Society's.

Who are the top researchers on each side?

The most cited researchers on each side, among those ranked.

ETH Zurich

  1. 1 Thomas Ward Crowther #324 worldwide 33k citations · 498 works
  2. 2 Ruedi Aebersold #982 worldwide 176k citations · 1,184 works
  3. 3 Shinichi Sunagawa #1,118 worldwide 57k citations · 417 works
  4. 4 Sonia Isabelle Seneviratne #4,414 worldwide 81k citations · 883 works
  5. 5 Uwe Sauer #4,679 worldwide 38k citations · 371 works

Max Planck Society

  1. 1 L. van der Schaaf #500 worldwide 74k citations · 149 works
  2. 2 N. Aggarwal #519 worldwide 63k citations · 139 works
  3. 3 K. Holt #991 worldwide 72k citations · 180 works
  4. 4 T. Hardwick #1,241 worldwide 68k citations · 99 works
  5. 5 S. P. Vyatchanin #1,366 worldwide 54k citations · 116 works

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