ETH Zurich
In research, ETH Zurich stands highest in Physical Sciences (#3 of 10,670 worldwide), Environmental Science (#3 of 3,334 worldwide) and Computer Science (#4 of 4,417 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics, Geophysics and Hardware and Architecture (Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics is 7.6× its share of world research).
- World rank, 2022-now
- #9 of 22,385 · #6 all time
- Rank in Switzerland
- #1 of 186
- Research works
- 95k ▼ 7% vs 2018-21
- Citations
- 4M 41.9 per fractional work
- Top-10% rate
- 17.0% all institutions 10.0%
- vs its own fields
- 1.69× 1.00× is exactly expected
- Open access
- 48% world 40%
- International
- 36% world 18%
What is ETH Zurich known for in research?
The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.
| Field | World rank | Where that sits | Top-10% rate | Works | All time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical SciencesDomain | #3 of 10,670 | 16.7% | 9,817 | #2 | |
| Environmental ScienceField | #3 of 3,334 | 18.2% | 1,046 | #2 | |
| Computer ScienceField | #4 of 4,417 | 18.6% | 1,740 | #2 | |
| Life SciencesDomain | #8 of 6,403 | 19.2% | 1,777 | #7 | |
| EngineeringField | #10 of 5,901 | 16.0% | 3,446 | #3 | |
| Agricultural and Biological SciencesField | #8 of 3,157 | 24.4% | 474 | #10 | |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField | #8 of 2,964 | 17.0% | 947 | #7 | |
| Earth and Planetary SciencesField | #3 of 1,088 | 17.7% | 705 | #6 | |
| Social SciencesDomain | #30 of 9,585 | 20.0% | 1,652 | #36 | |
| Artificial IntelligenceSubfield | #6 of 1,862 | 17.4% | 600 | #3 |
Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where ETH Zurich sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).
Which of those standings moved
The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022-now. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.
- Physical Sciences#2 #3
- Environmental Science#2 #3
- Computer Science#2 #4
- Life Sciences#7 #8
- Engineering#3 #10
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences#10 #8
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#7 #8
- Earth and Planetary Sciences#6 #3
- Social Sciences#36 #30
- Artificial Intelligence#3 #6
A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.
Which fields of science does ETH Zurich work in?
In 2022-now, 68% of research at ETH Zurich is in Physical Sciences, 13% in Life Sciences. Its largest fields are Engineering (23%), Computer Science (12%), Environmental Science (8%). It does 1.7× the world's share of Physical Sciences.
Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.
Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
- Physical Sciences11k68.1%
- Engineering3,76423.0%
- Computer Science1,95711.9%
- Environmental Science1,2787.8%
- Physics and Astronomy1,1817.2%
- Earth and Planetary Sciences8975.5%
- Materials Science7714.7%
- Chemistry5183.2%
- Mathematics4873.0%
- Energy1841.1%
- Chemical Engineering1220.7%
- Life Sciences2,07512.7%
- Social Sciences1,85111.3%
- Social Sciences7844.8%
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance2831.7%
- Business, Management and Accounting2341.4%
- Psychology2061.3%
- Decision Sciences1951.2%
- Arts and Humanities1490.9%
- Health Sciences1,3007.9%
- Medicine1,1346.9%
- Health Professions1120.7%
- Nursing310.2%
- Veterinary140.1%
- Dentistry90.1%
What does ETH Zurich specialise in?
Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics takes 7.6× the share of its output that it takes of world research.
- Discrete Mathematics and CombinatoricsSubfield · 49.5 works7.6×
- GeophysicsSubfield · 301.1 works5.3×
- Hardware and ArchitectureSubfield · 90.5 works4.9×
- Atmospheric ScienceSubfield · 350.3 works4.8×
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield · 537.0 works4.6×
- SpectroscopySubfield · 159.3 works4.4×
Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.
Field profile
Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.
Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 3.5×. Every wedge is a field page.
All 26 fields, with their numbers
- Earth and Planetary Sciences3.49×897 works
- Physics and Astronomy3.24×1,180 works
- Mathematics2.53×487 works
- Chemical Engineering2.13×122 works
- Chemistry2.02×518 works
- Environmental Science1.57×1,278 works
- Computer Science1.54×1,957 works
- Engineering1.53×3,764 works
- Materials Science1.35×771 works
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.28×1,114 works
- Decision Sciences1.23×195 works
- Energy1.22×184 works
- Neuroscience1.11×294 works
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.81×283 works
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.71×556 works
- Veterinary0.64×14 works
- Immunology and Microbiology0.50×82 works
- Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.48×28 works
- Business, Management and Accounting0.44×234 works
- Psychology0.41×206 works
- Nursing0.39×31 works
- Social Sciences0.38×784 works
- Medicine0.36×1,134 works
- Arts and Humanities0.31×149 works
- Health Professions0.26×112 works
- Dentistry0.11×9 works
- Earth and Planetary Sciences 3.5×
- Physics and Astronomy 3.2×
- Mathematics 2.5×
- Chemical Engineering 2.1×
- Chemistry 2.0×
- Environmental Science 1.6×
- Computer Science 1.5×
- Engineering 1.5×
- Materials Science 1.4×
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 1.3×
- Decision Sciences 1.2×
- Energy 1.2×
- Neuroscience 1.1×
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance 0.8×
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences 0.7×
- Veterinary 0.6×
- Immunology and Microbiology 0.5×
- Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics 0.5×
- Business, Management and Accounting 0.4×
- Psychology 0.4×
- Nursing 0.4×
- Social Sciences 0.4×
- Medicine 0.4×
- Arts and Humanities 0.3×
- Health Professions 0.3×
- Dentistry 0.1×
Who are the top researchers at ETH Zurich?
Ranked on the quality score, Thomas Ward Crowther, Ruedi Aebersold and Shinichi Sunagawa lead among researchers whose main affiliation is ETH Zurich.
- 1
Thomas Ward Crowther
Switzerland · #324 worldwide 33k citations · 498 works
- 2
Ruedi Aebersold
Switzerland · #982 worldwide 176k citations · 1,184 works
- 3
Shinichi Sunagawa
Switzerland · #1,118 worldwide 57k citations · 417 works
- 4
Sonia Isabelle Seneviratne
Switzerland · #4,414 worldwide 81k citations · 883 works
- 5
Uwe Sauer
Switzerland · #4,679 worldwide 38k citations · 371 works
- 6
Frank Schimmelfennig
Switzerland · #5,279 worldwide 16k citations · 374 works
- 7
Radu Timofte
Switzerland · #5,527 worldwide 43k citations · 709 works
- 8
Marc Pollefeys
Switzerland · #5,799 worldwide 49k citations · 894 works
- 9
Robert J. Finger
Switzerland · #5,808 worldwide 14k citations · 417 works
- 10
Rachael Garrett
Switzerland · #6,384 worldwide 8.5k citations · 183 works
Which keywords describe research at ETH Zurich?
By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Global Warming, Remote Sensing, Sustainability, Biomedical Applications and Neural Networks.
- Earthquakes
- Algorithmic Applications
- Climate Modeling
- Boundary Layer
- Sea Level Rise
- Inverse Problems
- Hydrogels
- Superconductivity
- Ocean Circulation
- Hydrological Cycle
- Fluid Dynamics
- Self-Assembly
- Molecular Dynamics
- Biosensors
- Catalysis
- Nanoparticles
- Renewable Energy
- Remote Sensing
- Sustainability
- Deep Learning
- Climate Change
- Machine Learning
- Neural Networks
- Biomedical Applications
- Environmental Impact
- Global Warming
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Additive Manufacturing
- 3D Printing
- Tomography
- Plate Tectonics
- Approximation Algorithms
- Entanglement
- Air Quality
- Extreme Events
- Data Assimilation
- Nonlinear Optics
- Geodetic Measurements
- Precipitation Extremes
- Subduction
Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.
All 40 words, with their numbers
- Climate Change854▲ 1.92×101 topics
- Deep Learning736▲ 1.30×78 topics
- Machine Learning688▲ 1.26×84 topics
- Sustainability457◆ 1.14×98 topics
- Neural Networks359▲ 1.42×39 topics
- Remote Sensing354▲ 1.77×34 topics
- Biomedical Applications324▲ 1.67×35 topics
- Renewable Energy321▲ 1.35×46 topics
- Environmental Impact314◆ 1.12×59 topics
- Nanoparticles284▲ 1.37×43 topics
- Global Warming252▲ 3.6×14 topics
- Catalysis218▲ 1.99×28 topics
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions191▲ 4.2×8 topics
- Biosensors187▲ 2.3×12 topics
- Additive Manufacturing183▲ 3.6×8 topics
- Molecular Dynamics154▲ 5.4×6 topics
- 3D Printing148▲ 4.1×5 topics
- Self-Assembly148▲ 2.8×12 topics
- Tomography146▲ 5.0×5 topics
- Fluid Dynamics141▲ 6.1×6 topics
- Plate Tectonics129▲ 5.2×3 topics
- Hydrological Cycle124▲ 7.5×2 topics
- Approximation Algorithms118▲ 9.8×5 topics
- Ocean Circulation118▲ 5.3×3 topics
- Entanglement115▲ 4.7×4 topics
- Superconductivity110▲ 3.9×9 topics
- Air Quality108▲ 3.5×6 topics
- Hydrogels108▲ 3.4×5 topics
- Extreme Events105▲ 7.0×2 topics
- Inverse Problems100▲ 5.4×4 topics
- Data Assimilation99▲ 3.7×4 topics
- Sea Level Rise96▲ 4.7×3 topics
- Nonlinear Optics95▲ 5.4×4 topics
- Boundary Layer92▲ 4.5×4 topics
- Geodetic Measurements92▲ 5.3×2 topics
- Climate Modeling88▲ 7.2×1 topic
- Precipitation Extremes88▲ 7.2×1 topic
- Algorithmic Applications80▲ 14×2 topics
- Subduction78▲ 6.4×3 topics
- Earthquakes71▲ 7.6×1 topic
Which research topics does ETH Zurich publish most on?
By volume in 2022-now: Climate variability and models, earthquake and tectonic studies, Geological and Geochemical Analysis and Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations.
Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.
- 1 Climate variability and models Global and Planetary Change 88 works
- 2 earthquake and tectonic studies Geophysics 71 works
- 3 Geological and Geochemical Analysis Geophysics 70 works
- 4 Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations Atmospheric Science 68 works
- 5 Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies Automotive Engineering 62 works
- 6 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 61 works
- 7 Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 60 works
- 8 Innovations in Concrete and Construction Materials Building and Construction 59 works
- 9 Geology and Paleoclimatology Research Atmospheric Science 55 works
- 10 High-pressure geophysics and materials Geophysics 55 works
How open and international is its research?
Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.
World: 40% of research is openly available.
World: 18% is written across borders.
How has ETH Zurich's research output changed?
Output in 2022-2025 was 7% lower than in 2018-2021.
The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Its share of all research
Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is ETH Zurich as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.063% in 2024.
Fractional works of ETH Zurich over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.
How much of it reaches the world top 10%
Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.
Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 22.0% in 2012.
Other research institutions in Zurich
- University of Zurich
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology
- ABB (Switzerland)
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration
- World Wide Fund for Nature
- Universitätsklinik Balgrist
- Swiss Finance Institute
- Schulthess-Klinik
Which institutions have research most like ETH Zurich's?
Among the world's leading institutions, California Institute of Technology has the research profile closest to ETH Zurich's, with both strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
- 1
California Institute of Technology
United States · Both strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics 0.95 Compare
- 2
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Germany · Both strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemical Engineering 0.92 Compare
- 3
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Switzerland · Both strong in Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, Chemical Engineering 0.91 Compare
- 4
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Saudi Arabia · Both strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry 0.89 Compare
- 5
Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
India · Both strong in Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, Chemistry 0.88 Compare
Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.
Compare ETH Zurich with
- vs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- vs
Tsinghua University
- vs
Max Planck Society
- vs
Peking University
- vs
University of Cambridge
- vs
Cornell University
Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners have tabs of their own, above.
Questions people ask
What is ETH Zurich known for in research?
In research, ETH Zurich stands highest in Physical Sciences (#3 of 10,670 worldwide), Environmental Science (#3 of 3,334 worldwide) and Computer Science (#4 of 4,417 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics, Geophysics and Hardware and Architecture (Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics is 7.6× its share of world research).
Discussion
Ask a question or share a note about ETH Zurich. Keep it to the research: no personal attacks, advertising or links. Any reader can report a post, which collapses it for everyone until it is opened.
