Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Field · Physical Sciences

Engineering research

Engineering is a field of the Physical Sciences. Science Explorer counts 16.2M research works in it since 1950. 17.5% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to solve technical problems.

Research works
16.2M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
2.8M
per year above
Top-10% rate
17.5%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
560
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+26%
the tick is no change

What is Engineering research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Mechanical Properties, Energy Efficiency, Deep Learning, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Heat Transfer. Gaining share since 2009–13: Cathode Materials, Rechargeable Batteries, Battery Technology, Energy Storage, Lithium-ion Batteries. Losing share: Internet of Things, Numerical Simulation, Robotics, Optimization.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Mechanical Properties172k◆ 1.14×26 topics
  2. Energy Efficiency160k▲ 1.18×29 topics
  3. Deep Learning144k▲ 1.73×21 topics
  4. Renewable Energy139k▲ 1.47×22 topics
  5. Sustainability120k▲ 1.83×17 topics
  6. Heat Transfer115k▲ 1.19×17 topics
  7. Optimization102k▼ 0.69×20 topics
  8. Lithium-ion Batteries94k▲ 2.2×4 topics
  9. Microstructure92k▲ 1.28×11 topics
  10. Machine Learning90k▲ 1.39×12 topics
  11. Cathode Materials90k▲ 3.0×3 topics
  12. Renewable Energy Integration85k▲ 1.65×6 topics
  13. Power Electronics85k▲ 1.29×8 topics
  14. Energy Storage83k▲ 2.4×6 topics
  15. Nanoparticles82k◆ 1.09×13 topics
  16. Environmental Impact81k▲ 1.26×18 topics
  17. Neural Networks80k◆ 0.87×9 topics
  18. Graphene72k▲ 1.27×7 topics
  19. Thermal Management71k▲ 1.31×7 topics
  20. Nanomaterials70k▲ 1.34×6 topics
  21. Biomedical Applications69k◆ 1.11×9 topics
  22. Numerical Simulation69k▼ 0.65×13 topics
  23. Vibration Analysis66k◆ 0.95×9 topics
  24. Smart Grid65k◆ 1.01×7 topics
  25. Artificial Neural Networks65k◆ 1.14×4 topics
  26. Model Predictive Control64k▲ 1.19×6 topics
  27. Additive Manufacturing63k▲ 2.1×7 topics
  28. Rechargeable Batteries62k▲ 2.9×2 topics
  29. Biosensors61k◆ 0.87×5 topics
  30. Electric Vehicles60k▲ 1.97×4 topics
  31. Finite Element Analysis58k◆ 1.06×9 topics
  32. Battery Technology52k▲ 2.6×2 topics
  33. Semiconductors50k▲ 1.90×3 topics
  34. 3D Printing49k▲ 1.66×4 topics
  35. Efficiency49k▲ 1.72×4 topics
  36. Internet of Things48k▼ 0.42×9 topics
  37. Tissue Engineering47k▲ 1.51×3 topics
  38. Robotics45k▼ 0.65×8 topics
  39. Sustainable Development44k▲ 1.80×12 topics
  40. Carbon Nanotubes42k◆ 1.10×4 topics

Which countries lead Engineering research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Engineering. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (1.1M and 301k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 20.0% top 10% · 1.1M works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 14.2% top 10% · 301k works
  3. 3 India · #6 all time 12.9% top 10% · 261k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom · #3 all time 19.4% top 10% · 77k works
  5. 5 Australia · #11 all time 24.3% top 10% · 37k works
  6. 6 South Korea · #10 all time 17.4% top 10% · 78k works
  7. 7 Germany · #4 all time 12.5% top 10% · 107k works
  8. 8 Italy · #9 all time 17.7% top 10% · 67k works
  9. 9 Hong Kong · #18 all time 31.9% top 10% · 18k works
  10. 10 Canada · #8 all time 17.6% top 10% · 49k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 134 countries ranked in Engineering. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Engineering

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 1.1M works
  2. 2 United States 301k works
  3. 3 India 261k works
  4. 4 Germany 107k works
  5. 5 Russia 97k works
  6. 6 Japan 94k works
  7. 7 South Korea 78k works
  8. 8 United Kingdom 77k works
  9. 9 Indonesia 75k works
  10. 10 Italy 67k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 48.7%United States: 13.3%India: 11.6%Germany: 4.7%6 others listed: 21.6%49%largest
China1.1M · 48.7%United States301k · 13.3%India261k · 11.6%Germany107k · 4.7%6 others listed488k · 21.6%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Engineering research?

Tsinghua University (China) ranks first in Engineering on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Chinese Academy of Sciences and Central South University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #2 all time 25.6% top 10% · 16k works
  2. 2 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #4 all time 25.3% top 10% · 16k works
  3. 3 Central South University China · Changsha · #11 all time 27.3% top 10% · 13k works
  4. 4 Harbin Institute of Technology China · Harbin · #13 all time 23.5% top 10% · 18k works
  5. 5 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai · #20 all time 23.6% top 10% · 15k works
  6. 6 Beijing Institute of Technology China · Beijing · #28 all time 24.0% top 10% · 12k works
  7. 7 Northwestern Polytechnical University China · Xi'an · #33 all time 27.9% top 10% · 12k works
  8. 8 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou · #26 all time 21.1% top 10% · 13k works
  9. 9 Xi'an Jiaotong University China · Xi'an · #27 all time 23.6% top 10% · 16k works
  10. 10 Huazhong University of Science and Technology China · Wuhan · #36 all time 23.0% top 10% · 12k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 6,636 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Engineering.

Top 100 Engineering institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 18k works
  2. 2 Tsinghua UniversityChina 16k works
  3. 3 Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityChina 16k works
  4. 4 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 16k works
  5. 5 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 15k works
  6. 6 Southeast UniversityChina 14k works
  7. 7 Zhejiang UniversityChina 13k works
  8. 8 Central South UniversityChina 13k works
  9. 9 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 12k works
  10. 10 Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChina 12k works

Who are the leading researchers in Engineering?

Among the most productive authors in Engineering, Ian F. Akyildiz, David R. Smith and Wolfram Burgard rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Ian F. Akyildiz United States · #45 worldwide 8.2k citations · 173 works
  2. 2 David R. Smith United States · #94 worldwide 6.3k citations · 145 works
  3. 3 Wolfram Burgard Germany · #103 worldwide 6.3k citations · 232 works
  4. 4 George Em Karniadakis United States · #151 worldwide 6.3k citations · 268 works
  5. 5 Fang Zheng Peng United States · #190 worldwide 3.7k citations · 136 works
  6. 6 Theodore S. Rappaport United States · #235 worldwide 3.7k citations · 152 works
  7. 7 Wei Liu China · #275 worldwide 9.7k citations · 371 works
  8. 8 Ted Belytschko United States · #315 worldwide 4.1k citations · 139 works
  9. 9 Hirofumi Akagi Japan · #505 worldwide 3.3k citations · 149 works
  10. 10 Thomas J.R. Hughes United States · #636 worldwide 3.7k citations · 163 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,414 highest-output authors in Engineering. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Engineering researchers

Where is Engineering research done?

The largest centres of Engineering research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Xi'an (China) and Nanjing (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Winchester.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 204k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 75k works
  3. 3 Xi'an China 66k works
  4. 4 Nanjing China 66k works
  5. 5 Wuhan China 50k works
  6. 6 Chengdu China 40k works
  7. 7 Guangzhou China 39k works
  8. 8 Hangzhou China 33k works
  9. 9 Changsha China 33k works
  10. 10 Moscow Russia 33k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. WinchesterUS · 24.4 works5.8×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Engineering than the world average.

See Engineering on the map

Engineering research by country

The best places for Engineering research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Engineering?

Among universities, judged by research, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Northwestern Polytechnical University and Harbin Institute of Technology score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 26.97%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Hong Kong Polytechnic University: 6,329, 34.6%Northwestern Polytechnical University: 12k, 27.9%Harbin Institute of Technology: 18k, 23.5%Xi'an Jiaotong University: 16k, 23.6%Southeast University: 14k, 21.5%Khalifa University of Science and Technology: 2,033, 26.9%Southern University of Science and Technology: 3,716, 27.5%City University of Hong Kong: 3,769, 33.2%Beihang University: 11k, 25.4%Tsinghua University: 16k, 25.6%Hong Kong Polytechni…Northwestern Polytec…Xi'an Jiaotong Unive…Harbin Institute of …
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong 65.734.6%2.4×6,329 +10.3%
2 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 63.327.9%3.5×12,473 -16.7%
3 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 62.723.5%3.5×17,648 +1.2%
4 Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityChina 62.623.6%3.2×15,729 +41.3%
5 Southeast UniversityChina 61.821.5%3.4×14,128 +35.5%
6 Khalifa University of Science and TechnologyUnited Arab Emirates 61.526.9%2.7×2,033 +273.8%
7 Southern University of Science and TechnologyChina 61.227.5%2.2×3,716 +1491.9%
8 City University of Hong KongHong Kong 60.333.2%2.1×3,769 +23.2%
9 Beihang UniversityChina 60.225.4%3.3×11,414 +4.4%
10 Tsinghua UniversityChina 60.025.6%2.7×16,314 +1.9%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Engineering research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 26% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Microgrid Control and Optimization, Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies and Advancements in Battery Materials.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Microgrid Control and Optimization+434%
  2. Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies+411%
  3. Advancements in Battery Materials+390%
  4. Advanced Battery Technologies Research+319%
  5. Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials+225%
  6. Biofuel production and bioconversion+128%
  7. Advancements in Semiconductor Devices and Circuit Design-7%
  8. Semiconductor materials and devices-9%
  9. Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices-27%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Engineering include?

Photonic and Optical Dev…155kPhotonic and Optical Devices: 155k fractional worksSemiconductor materials …146kSemiconductor materials and devices: 146k fractional worksFluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows: 107k fractional worksAdvancements in Battery Materials: 106k fractional worksMetal and Thin Film Mechanics: 93k fractional worksAdvanced Sensor and Ener…92kAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials: 92k fractional worksManufacturing Process and Optimization: 91k fractional worksAdvanced Chemical Sensor Technologies: 91k fractional worksAdvanced Battery Technol…89kAdvanced Battery Technologies Research: 89k fractional worksSemiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices: 88k fractional worksGas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors: 87k fractional worksFault Detection and Cont…85kFault Detection and Control Systems: 85k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.