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ShanghaiTech University vs Virginia Tech

On research quality in 2022-now, ShanghaiTech University ranks #251 in the world and Virginia Tech #252, of 22,385 institutions. ShanghaiTech University stands higher in 8 of the 17 fields both publish in, Virginia Tech in 9.

Research profiles alike: 0.06different shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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ShanghaiTech University

China · Shanghai

World rank, 2022-now
#251
#172 all time
Works, 2022-now
4.3k
fractional
Top-10% rate
14.3%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
39%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Structural Biology, Condensed Matter Physics, Catalysis.

Virginia Tech

United States · Blacksburg

World rank, 2022-now
#252
#203 all time
Works, 2022-now
13k
fractional
Top-10% rate
11.4%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
28%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Architecture, Equine, Software.

Who leads, measure by measure?

ShanghaiTech University leads on 6 of 8 measures: research quality, citation excellence for its fields, top-10% rate, open access, international co-authorship and growth. Virginia Tech leads on 2 of 8 measures: output and citations per work.

ShanghaiTech University 62 Virginia Tech
  1. #251Research qualityworld rank of 22,385 institutions, 2022-now#252
  2. 1.46×Citation excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.02×
  3. 4.3kOutputfractional works, 2022-now13k
  4. 14.3%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited11.4%
  5. 22.2Citations per workall time, per fractional work27.1
  6. 39%Open accessof its works free to read, all time28%
  7. 25%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time12%
  8. +79%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change-4%

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?

ShanghaiTech University stands higher in 8 of 17 fields, Virginia Tech in 9. Virginia Tech leads most in Engineering (#127 against #147); ShanghaiTech University leads most in Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (#145 against #469). Each bar is that side's standing among all institutions ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

ShanghaiTech University 89 Virginia Tech
  1. -Agricultural and Biological Sciences#140
  2. #145Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#469
  3. -Business, Management and Accounting#298
  4. #57Chemistry#146
  5. #132Computer Science#219
  6. -Decision Sciences#112
  7. #141Energy-
  8. #147Engineering#127
  9. -Environmental Science#227
  10. -Health Professions#254
  11. #136Materials Science#241
  12. -Mathematics#138
  13. #375Medicine#467
  14. #229Neuroscience-
  15. #164Physics and Astronomy-
  16. -Psychology#322
  17. -Social Sciences#332

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 ShanghaiTech University rankVirginia Tech rank ShanghaiTech University top 10%Virginia Tech top 10% ShanghaiTech University worksVirginia Tech works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences - #140 - 10.1% - 662
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #145 #469 16.8% 9.5% 329 618
Business, Management and Accounting - #298 - 18.1% - 254
Chemistry #57 #146 20.5% 13.3% 232 133
Computer Science #132 #219 13.7% 11.4% 552 1.3k
Decision Sciences - #112 - 13.1% - 211
Energy #141 - 13.5% - 73 -
Engineering #147 #127 12.8% 12.0% 1.1k 3k
Environmental Science - #227 - 9.7% - 796
Health Professions - #254 - 13.2% - 188
Materials Science #136 #241 13.4% 10.1% 403 366
Mathematics - #138 - 11.1% - 158
Medicine #375 #467 19.3% 10.9% 311 961
Neuroscience #229 - 14.8% - 99 -
Physics and Astronomy #164 - 13.3% - 269 -
Psychology - #322 - 9.6% - 465
Social Sciences - #332 - 13.2% - 1.1k

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. Chemistry3.8× 0.7×
  2. Chemical Engineering4.1× 0.9×
  3. Energy2.2× 0.5×
  4. Dentistry0.3× 0.1×
  5. Materials Science3.0× 0.9×
  6. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.9× 0.3×
  7. Physics and Astronomy3.2× 1.4×
  8. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.7× 1.0×
  9. Neuroscience1.6× 1.1×
  10. Computer Science1.9× 1.5×
  11. Engineering1.9× 1.7×
  12. Medicine0.4× 0.4×
  13. Immunology and Microbiology0.7× 0.8×
  14. Mathematics0.9× 1.2×
  15. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.3× 0.6×
  16. Decision Sciences0.9× 1.8×
  17. Nursing0.2× 0.5×
  18. Business, Management and Accounting0.2× 0.7×
  19. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.3× 1.3×
  20. Arts and Humanities0.1× 0.6×
  21. Environmental Science0.2× 1.4×
  22. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.2× 1.2×
  23. Social Sciences0.1× 0.8×
  24. Psychology0.1× 1.3×
  25. Health Professions0.1× 0.6×
  26. Veterinary0.1× 3.0×
ShanghaiTech UniversityVirginia Tech

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 ShanghaiTech University leans further are at the top, Virginia Tech'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.

ShanghaiTech University

▲ 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. Deep Learning358▲ 2.4×78 topics
  2. Machine Learning192▲ 1.34×71 topics
  3. Catalysis171▲ 6.0×29 topics
  4. Neural Networks152▲ 2.3×35 topics
  5. Nanoparticles106▲ 1.96×36 topics
  6. Nanomaterials105▲ 2.3×19 topics
  7. Biomedical Applications101▲ 1.99×34 topics
  8. Energy Efficiency88▲ 2.2×29 topics
  9. Graphene79▲ 2.7×10 topics
  10. Energy Storage77▲ 2.8×12 topics
  11. Cathode Materials73▲ 4.4×3 topics
  12. Biosensors72▲ 3.4×12 topics
  13. Metal-Organic Frameworks72▲ 4.0×6 topics
  14. Convolutional Neural Networks71▲ 2.3×14 topics
  15. Electrocatalysis69▲ 5.6×5 topics
  16. Semiconductor68▲ 4.8×7 topics
  17. Lithium-ion Batteries67▲ 3.8×4 topics
  18. Electronic Structure66▲ 8.6×8 topics
  19. Two-Dimensional Materials63▲ 6.4×4 topics
  20. Water Splitting61▲ 3.8×4 topics
  21. Crystal Growth60▲ 5.1×12 topics
  22. Semiconductors60▲ 4.8×5 topics
  23. Efficiency59▲ 4.6×5 topics
  24. Nanocrystals56▲ 5.1×5 topics
  25. Superconductivity56▲ 7.6×9 topics
  26. Stability53▲ 5.5×7 topics
  27. Wireless Power Transfer51▲ 13×2 topics
  28. Heterogeneous Catalysis48▲ 6.0×5 topics
  29. Photovoltaics47▲ 7.1×4 topics
  30. Energy Conversion47▲ 5.2×4 topics
  31. Light-Emitting Diodes46▲ 7.1×3 topics
  32. Methane Storage44▲ 8.0×2 topics
  33. Unsupervised Learning43▲ 6.5×3 topics
  34. Optical Modulators42▲ 7.0×3 topics
  35. Spectroscopy42▲ 5.9×9 topics
  36. Convolutional Networks41▲ 7.0×3 topics
  37. Transition Metal Complexes40▲ 10×4 topics
  38. Metal Oxides40▲ 7.8×2 topics
  39. Organic Synthesis38▲ 7.6×10 topics
  40. Biological Detection37▲ 9.8×2 topics

Virginia Tech

▲ 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. Machine Learning607▲ 1.41×85 topics
  2. Deep Learning555▲ 1.25×78 topics
  3. Climate Change532▲ 1.52×99 topics
  4. Epidemiology336▼ 0.65×130 topics
  5. Sustainability321◆ 1.02×90 topics
  6. Neural Networks283▲ 1.42×38 topics
  7. Globalization222◆ 0.88×96 topics
  8. Environmental Impact206◆ 0.94×61 topics
  9. Power Electronics206▲ 5.0×8 topics
  10. Education191▼ 0.86×65 topics
  11. Mechanical Properties184▲ 1.45×36 topics
  12. Remote Sensing164◆ 1.04×33 topics
  13. Energy Efficiency154▲ 1.29×31 topics
  14. Big Data149▲ 1.21×24 topics
  15. Renewable Energy Integration146▲ 3.4×6 topics
  16. Engineering Education127▲ 12×7 topics
  17. Heat Transfer121▲ 1.92×18 topics
  18. Thermal Management113▲ 2.7×8 topics
  19. Autonomous Vehicles112▲ 4.2×4 topics
  20. Invasive Species110▲ 2.0×21 topics
  21. Large-Eddy Simulation108▲ 4.5×5 topics
  22. Additive Manufacturing96▲ 2.4×8 topics
  23. Lifelong Learning95▲ 3.6×7 topics
  24. Driver Behavior89▲ 8.7×2 topics
  25. Assessment Methods88▲ 6.4×3 topics
  26. Electric Vehicle Charging86▲ 8.1×2 topics
  27. Power Devices83▲ 9.6×2 topics
  28. High-Temperature Electronics78▲ 10×2 topics
  29. Reliability77▲ 7.9×3 topics
  30. Silicon Carbide75▲ 12×2 topics
  31. IGBT Modules75▲ 14×1 topic
  32. Wide Bandgap Semiconductors75▲ 14×1 topic
  33. Professional Skills72▲ 17×2 topics
  34. Accreditation70▲ 22×1 topic
  35. Outcome-Based Education70▲ 22×1 topic
  36. Career Development70▲ 4.6×5 topics
  37. DC-DC Converters70▲ 9.9×1 topic
  38. High-Frequency Power Conversion70▲ 9.9×1 topic
  39. Mental Workload56▲ 8.1×2 topics
  40. Cognitive Load54▲ 8.7×2 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?

Virginia Tech has out-published ShanghaiTech University every year since 1983.

still counting2k4kVirginia Tech2,832 in 2025ShanghaiTech University1,068 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 counting0.10%0.20%0.30%Virginia Tech0.048% in 2025ShanghaiTech University0.018% 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%ShanghaiTech University14.5% in 2025Virginia Tech10.8% 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, ShanghaiTech University or Virginia Tech?

Virginia Tech publishes 3.0× as much research as ShanghaiTech University in 2022-now (13k against 4.3k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, ShanghaiTech University or Virginia Tech?

14.3% of ShanghaiTech University's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 11.4% for Virginia Tech.

Is ShanghaiTech University or Virginia Tech growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +79% against 2018-21 for ShanghaiTech University, and -4% for Virginia Tech.

Which has more open access research, ShanghaiTech University or Virginia Tech?

39% of ShanghaiTech University's research is free to read, against 28% of Virginia Tech's.

Who are the top researchers on each side?

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

ShanghaiTech University

  1. 1 Shenghua Gao #13,563 worldwide 13k citations · 233 works
  2. 2 Zhijun Ning #21,751 worldwide 27k citations · 298 works
  3. 3 Yue‐Biao Zhang #24,604 worldwide 20k citations · 247 works
  4. 4 Jin Xie #26,184 worldwide 19k citations · 121 works
  5. 5 Xingxu Huang #27,689 worldwide 23k citations · 368 works

Virginia Tech

  1. 1 Viswanath Venkatesh #1,192 worldwide 86k citations · 284 works
  2. 2 Linsey C. Marr #11,454 worldwide 21k citations · 282 works
  3. 3 F.C. Lee #17,882 worldwide 29k citations · 408 works
  4. 4 Paul Benjamin Lowry #21,122 worldwide 17k citations · 455 works
  5. 5 Frank O. Aylward #24,772 worldwide 5.4k citations · 222 works