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University · Kyoto · Japan

Kyoto University

In research, Kyoto University stands highest in Physical Sciences (#121 of 12,888 worldwide), Physics and Astronomy (#43 of 1,646 worldwide) and Life Sciences (#258 of 7,800 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Condensed Matter Physics, Geometry and Topology and Mathematical Physics — Condensed Matter Physics is 5.5× its share of world research.

kyoto-u.ac.jp/enROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#166
of 28,054 · #59 all time
Rank in Japan
#2
of 1,070
Research works
183k
▼ 9% vs 2013–17
Citations
4.6M
25.3 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
15.1%
record average 16.5%
Open access
42%
world 28%

What is Kyoto University 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 #121 of 12,888 14.3%7,986 #53
Physics and AstronomyField #43 of 1,646 24.8%1,185 #55
Life SciencesDomain #258 of 7,800 15.7%2,482 #70
MedicineField #398 of 10,443 13.7%2,590 #189
Health SciencesDomain #502 of 11,982 14.0%2,805 #225
EngineeringField #307 of 6,636 11.6%2,450 #136
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #198 of 3,579 15.0%1,306 #56
MathematicsField #59 of 1,053 12.6%446 #35
Materials ScienceField #168 of 2,468 10.7%975 #53
Social SciencesDomain #723 of 10,521 19.9%1,719 #625

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Kyoto University 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#53 #121
  2. Physics and Astronomy#55 #43
  3. Life Sciences#70 #258
  4. Medicine#189 #398
  5. Health Sciences#225 #502
  6. Engineering#136 #307
  7. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#56 #198
  8. Mathematics#35 #59
  9. Materials Science#53 #168
  10. Social Sciences#625 #723
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 Kyoto University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Condensed Matter Physics takes 5.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Condensed Matter PhysicsSubfield · 131.6 works5.5×
  2. Geometry and TopologySubfield · 127.1 works5.2×
  3. Mathematical PhysicsSubfield · 119.6 works5.0×
  4. Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsSubfield · 210.7 works4.5×
  5. RadiationSubfield · 81.4 works4.0×
  6. GeophysicsSubfield · 189.0 works3.6×
  7. Physics and AstronomyField · 1,184.7 works3.5×
← 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: 0.77× its world share, 549 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.63× its world share, 1,306 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.17× its world share, 177 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.68× its world share, 408 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.81× its world share, 43 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.94× its world share, 102 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 2.42× its world share, 570 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.76× its world share, 885 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.85× its world share, 436 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.12× its world share, 155 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.09× its world share, 2,450 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.05× its world share, 782 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.86× its world share, 975 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 2.53× its world share, 446 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 3.55× its world share, 1,185 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.22× its world share, 16 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.35× its world share, 138 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.90× its world share, 2,590 worksMedicineNursing: 0.69× its world share, 51 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.50× its world share, 10 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.43× its world share, 185 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.28× its world share, 136 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.60× its world share, 86 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.61× its world share, 195 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.82× its world share, 375 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.39× its world share, 741 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 3.5×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Kyoto University?

Ranked on the composite score, Shimon Sakaguchi, N. Sasao and Minoru Kanehisa lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Kyoto University.

  1. 1 Shimon Sakaguchi Japan · #857 worldwide 1.8k citations · 126 works
  2. 2 N. Sasao Japan · #1,086 worldwide 3.3k citations · 103 works
  3. 3 Minoru Kanehisa Japan · #1,522 worldwide 5.7k citations · 82 works
  4. 4 Hiroyuki Ogata Japan · #2,604 worldwide 4.1k citations · 69 works
  5. 5 S. Tanaka Japan · #3,870 worldwide 2.6k citations · 65 works
  6. 6 Tasuku Honjo Japan · #4,534 worldwide 1.4k citations · 104 works
  7. 7 Tsuneo Yoshikawa Japan · #5,000 worldwide 757 citations · 107 works
  8. 8 Tetsuo Hyodo Japan · #7,806 worldwide 1.8k citations · 74 works
  9. 9 Shinya Yamanaka Japan · #8,398 worldwide 3.4k citations · 50 works
  10. 10 Nobuhiro Tsuji Japan · #8,462 worldwide 2.3k citations · 172 works
All ranked researchers at Kyoto University

Which keywords describe research at Kyoto University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Catalysis, Nanoparticles, Superconductivity, Biomedical Applications, Self-Assembly, Epidemiology and Inflammation.

▲ 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 Change466◆ 1.15×97 topics
  2. Epidemiology401▼ 0.68×127 topics
  3. Machine Learning360▼ 0.73×87 topics
  4. Deep Learning321▼ 0.63×79 topics
  5. Inflammation300◆ 0.96×83 topics
  6. Nanoparticles275▲ 1.46×43 topics
  7. Biomedical Applications255▲ 1.43×35 topics
  8. Oxidative Stress250◆ 1.02×62 topics
  9. Catalysis246▲ 2.5×27 topics
  10. Cancer208◆ 1.03×55 topics
  11. Remote Sensing174◆ 0.94×36 topics
  12. Nanomaterials169◆ 1.06×21 topics
  13. Mechanical Properties166◆ 1.14×38 topics
  14. Nanocomposites156▲ 1.29×21 topics
  15. Biodiversity155▲ 1.39×34 topics
  16. Self-Assembly152▲ 3.1×12 topics
  17. Immunotherapy141▲ 1.32×19 topics
  18. Tissue Engineering140▲ 1.53×13 topics
  19. Superconductivity128▲ 5.0×9 topics
  20. Biosensors122▲ 1.59×12 topics
  21. Cathode Materials114▲ 1.94×3 topics
  22. Nanostructures113▲ 1.88×17 topics
  23. Tomography99▲ 3.6×5 topics
  24. Chemical Sensors98▲ 2.8×3 topics
  25. Molecular Dynamics92▲ 3.7×6 topics
  26. Black Holes87▲ 6.1×3 topics
  27. Electronic Structure83▲ 3.1×8 topics
  28. Quantum Gravity76▲ 6.2×4 topics
  29. Transition Metal Complexes72▲ 5.4×4 topics
  30. Supernovae69▲ 5.6×2 topics
  31. Electronic Structure Calculations68▲ 6.9×2 topics
  32. Symplectic Geometry62▲ 11×2 topics
  33. Biological Applications61▲ 6.0×6 topics
  34. Drug Design60▲ 6.2×4 topics
  35. Quantum Entanglement60▲ 6.2×2 topics
  36. String Theory59▲ 7.0×2 topics
  37. Differentiation58▲ 6.3×2 topics
  38. Pluripotent Stem Cells57▲ 7.3×2 topics
  39. Field Theories55▲ 8.0×1 topic
  40. Holographic55▲ 8.0×1 topic

Which research topics does Kyoto University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: earthquake and tectonic studies, Black Holes and Theoretical Physics, Advancements in Battery Materials and Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials.

earthquake and tectonic …55earthquake and tectonic studies: 55 fractional worksBlack Holes and Theoreti…55Black Holes and Theoretical Physics: 55 fractional worksAdvancements in Battery Materials: 52 fractional worksLuminescence and Fluorescent Materials: 49 fractional worksCosmology and Gravitation Theories: 44 fractional worksPluripotent Stem Cells Research: 43 fractional worksAdvanced Battery Materials and Technologies: 42 fractional worksCRISPR and Genetic Engin…40CRISPR and Genetic Engineering: 40 fractional worksAlgebraic Geometry and Number Theory: 39 fractional worksPhysics of Superconductivity and Magnetism: 39 fractional works
GeophysicsNuclear and High Energy PhysicsElectrical and Electronic EngineeringMaterials Chemistry4 others

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

  1. 1 earthquake and tectonic studies Geophysics 55 works
  2. 2 Black Holes and Theoretical Physics Nuclear and High Energy Physics 55 works
  3. 3 Advancements in Battery Materials Electrical and Electronic Engineering 52 works
  4. 4 Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials Materials Chemistry 49 works
  5. 5 Cosmology and Gravitation Theories Astronomy and Astrophysics 44 works
  6. 6 Pluripotent Stem Cells Research Molecular Biology 43 works
  7. 7 Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies Electrical and Electronic Engineering 42 works
  8. 8 CRISPR and Genetic Engineering Molecular Biology 40 works
  9. 9 Algebraic Geometry and Number Theory Geometry and Topology 39 works
  10. 10 Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism Condensed Matter Physics 39 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 available42.0%not open58.0%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors13.6%domestic only86.4%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Kyoto University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 9% lower 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 Kyoto

All research institutions in Kyoto

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.