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University · Zurich · Switzerland

ETH Zurich

In research, ETH Zurich stands highest in Physical Sciences (#20 of 12,888 worldwide), Computer Science (#17 of 4,667 worldwide) and Environmental Science (#17 of 3,551 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics, Hardware and Architecture and Geophysics — Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics is 8.2× its share of world research.

ethz.chROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#20
of 28,054 · #24 all time
Rank in Switzerland
#1
of 220
Research works
92k
▲ 6% vs 2013–17
Citations
3.8M
41.7 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
30.1%
record average 16.5%
Open access
47%
world 28%

What is ETH Zurich known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #20 of 12,888 27.9%9,525 #13
Computer ScienceField #17 of 4,667 30.2%1,699 #8
Environmental ScienceField #17 of 3,551 37.5%1,017 #14
Physics and AstronomyField #8 of 1,646 31.6%1,015 #20
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #19 of 3,409 46.1%462 #42
Earth and Planetary SciencesField #9 of 1,209 35.9%690 #11
Life SciencesDomain #59 of 7,800 37.4%1,682 #104
MathematicsField #12 of 1,053 21.6%424 #25
EngineeringField #78 of 6,636 23.9%3,307 #42
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #43 of 3,579 35.1%894 #68

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 world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Physical Sciences#13 #20
  2. Computer Science#8 #17
  3. Environmental Science#14 #17
  4. Physics and Astronomy#20 #8
  5. Agricultural and Biological Sciences#42 #19
  6. Earth and Planetary Sciences#11 #9
  7. Life Sciences#104 #59
  8. Mathematics#25 #12
  9. Engineering#42 #78
  10. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#68 #43
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does ETH Zurich specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics takes 8.2× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Discrete Mathematics and CombinatoricsSubfield · 45.1 works8.2×
  2. Hardware and ArchitectureSubfield · 78.6 works5.1×
  3. GeophysicsSubfield · 239.8 works5.0×
  4. Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield · 471.2 works4.8×
  5. SpectroscopySubfield · 136.3 works4.5×
  6. Geometry and TopologySubfield · 97.3 works4.3×
  7. Condensed Matter PhysicsSubfield · 95.3 works4.3×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

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.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.71× its world share, 462 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.21× its world share, 894 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.48× its world share, 67 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.05× its world share, 234 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.49× its world share, 24 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 2.11× its world share, 102 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 2.09× its world share, 452 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.58× its world share, 1,699 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 3.19× its world share, 690 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.27× its world share, 161 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.60× its world share, 3,307 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.48× its world share, 1,017 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.37× its world share, 659 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 2.61× its world share, 424 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 3.31× its world share, 1,015 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.11× its world share, 8 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.24× its world share, 89 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.33× its world share, 863 worksMedicineNursing: 0.42× its world share, 29 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.59× its world share, 11 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.30× its world share, 120 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.48× its world share, 212 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.22× its world share, 162 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.87× its world share, 256 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.40× its world share, 168 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.39× its world share, 676 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 3.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at ETH Zurich?

Ranked on the composite score, Michele Parrinello, Dirk Helbing and David J. Norris lead among researchers whose main affiliation is ETH Zurich.

  1. 1 Michele Parrinello · #191 worldwide 5.6k citations · 175 works
  2. 2 Dirk Helbing · #1,135 worldwide 3k citations · 163 works
  3. 3 David J. Norris · #1,366 worldwide 2.4k citations · 97 works
  4. 4 Ruedi Aebersold · #1,595 worldwide 2.6k citations · 114 works
  5. 5 Richard R. Ernst · #1,796 worldwide 2.6k citations · 85 works
  6. 6 Nina Buchmann · #2,434 worldwide 2.4k citations · 119 works
  7. 7 Frank Schimmelfennig · #3,254 worldwide 782 citations · 93 works
  8. 8 A. Gurtu · #4,266 worldwide 2.6k citations · 132 works
  9. 9 Wilfred F. van Gunsteren · #4,401 worldwide 1.4k citations · 71 works
  10. 10 Luc Van Gool · #4,439 worldwide 8.5k citations · 527 works
All ranked researchers at ETH Zurich

Which keywords describe research at ETH Zurich?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Sustainability, Neural Networks, Remote Sensing, Additive Manufacturing and Biomedical Applications.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 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
  1. Climate Change645▲ 1.74×97 topics
  2. Deep Learning620▲ 1.31×76 topics
  3. Machine Learning577▲ 1.28×81 topics
  4. Sustainability400▲ 1.19×90 topics
  5. Neural Networks306▲ 1.44×39 topics
  6. Renewable Energy280▲ 1.41×44 topics
  7. Remote Sensing273▲ 1.60×33 topics
  8. Environmental Impact268◆ 1.14×57 topics
  9. Biomedical Applications267▲ 1.63×35 topics
  10. Nanoparticles247▲ 1.42×43 topics
  11. Catalysis189▲ 2.1×28 topics
  12. Global Warming176▲ 3.1×14 topics
  13. Biosensors164▲ 2.3×12 topics
  14. Additive Manufacturing164▲ 3.8×8 topics
  15. Energy Efficiency156▲ 1.21×37 topics
  16. Greenhouse Gas Emissions144▲ 3.9×8 topics
  17. 3D Printing135▲ 4.2×5 topics
  18. Self-Assembly128▲ 2.8×12 topics
  19. Molecular Dynamics127▲ 5.6×6 topics
  20. Fluid Dynamics121▲ 6.4×6 topics
  21. Renewable Energy Integration118▲ 2.5×6 topics
  22. Tomography106▲ 4.2×5 topics
  23. Plate Tectonics103▲ 4.9×3 topics
  24. Entanglement100▲ 4.8×4 topics
  25. Approximation Algorithms99▲ 10×5 topics
  26. Superconductivity90▲ 3.8×9 topics
  27. Nonlinear Optics88▲ 5.8×4 topics
  28. Hydrogels86▲ 3.4×5 topics
  29. Inverse Problems83▲ 5.6×4 topics
  30. Optical Modulators82▲ 4.0×3 topics
  31. Hydrological Cycle78▲ 6.0×2 topics
  32. Parallel Computing76▲ 4.7×5 topics
  33. Tectonics74▲ 4.5×3 topics
  34. Geodetic Measurements74▲ 4.9×2 topics
  35. Distributed Control72▲ 4.6×3 topics
  36. Microresonators71▲ 6.3×3 topics
  37. Microwave Photonics69▲ 5.7×2 topics
  38. Extreme Events67▲ 5.6×2 topics
  39. Algorithmic Applications67▲ 14×2 topics
  40. Digital Fabrication66▲ 6.2×2 topics

Which research topics does ETH Zurich publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Geological and Geochemical Analysis, Photonic and Optical Devices, Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies and Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies.

Geological and Geochemic…59Geological and Geochemical Analysis: 59 fractional worksPhotonic and Optical Dev…58Photonic and Optical Devices: 58 fractional worksAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies: 57 fractional worksAdvanced Fiber Laser Tec…57Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies: 57 fractional worksearthquake and tectonic …56earthquake and tectonic studies: 56 fractional worksClimate variability and models: 55 fractional worksInnovations in Concrete and Construction Materials: 53 fractional worksGeology and Paleoclimato…47Geology and Paleoclimatology Research: 47 fractional worksAdvanced Memory and Neural Computing: 46 fractional worksCatalytic Processes in Materials Science: 46 fractional works
GeophysicsElectrical and Electronic EngineeringAutomotive EngineeringAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics4 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Geological and Geochemical AnalysisGeophysics 59 works
  2. 2 Photonic and Optical DevicesElectrical and Electronic Engineering 58 works
  3. 3 Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing TechnologiesAutomotive Engineering 57 works
  4. 4 Advanced Fiber Laser TechnologiesAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 57 works
  5. 5 earthquake and tectonic studiesGeophysics 56 works
  6. 6 Climate variability and modelsGlobal and Planetary Change 55 works
  7. 7 Innovations in Concrete and Construction MaterialsBuilding and Construction 53 works
  8. 8 Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchAtmospheric Science 47 works
  9. 9 Advanced Memory and Neural ComputingElectrical and Electronic Engineering 46 works
  10. 10 Catalytic Processes in Materials ScienceMaterials Chemistry 46 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.

openly available47.3%not open52.7%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors35.7%domestic only64.3%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has ETH Zurich's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 6% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

Other research institutions in Zurich

All research institutions in Zurich

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.