Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Subfield · Engineering

Biomedical Engineering research

Biomedical Engineering is a subfield of Engineering. Science Explorer counts 2.2M research works in it since 1950. 17.4% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology.

Research works
2.2M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
385k
per year above
Top-10% rate
17.4%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
72
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+27%
the tick is no change

What is Biomedical Engineering research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Biomedical Applications, Tissue Engineering, Health Monitoring, Biosensors, Nanoparticles, Nanogenerators. Gaining share since 2009–13: Photothermal Therapy, Reactive Oxygen Species, Antibacterial Activity, Toxicity, Nanomaterials. Losing share: 3D Printing, Microfluidics, Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Pretreatment.

▲ 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. Biomedical Applications51k◆ 1.12×6 topics
  2. Tissue Engineering47k▲ 1.38×3 topics
  3. Health Monitoring39k▲ 1.69×2 topics
  4. Biosensors35k◆ 0.93×4 topics
  5. Nanoparticles33k▲ 1.28×4 topics
  6. Nanogenerators32k▲ 1.90×1 topic
  7. Wearable32k▲ 1.90×1 topic
  8. Lab-on-a-Chip30k▼ 0.86×3 topics
  9. Microfluidic Devices29k▲ 1.50×2 topics
  10. Lignocellulosic Biomass28k◆ 0.99×2 topics
  11. Graphene25k▲ 1.40×2 topics
  12. Gait Analysis22k◆ 1.09×2 topics
  13. Point-of-Care Diagnostics22k◆ 0.93×2 topics
  14. Biomass21k▲ 1.29×3 topics
  15. Drug Delivery21k▲ 1.33×3 topics
  16. Nanomaterials20k▲ 2.0×2 topics
  17. Biomechanics20k▲ 1.21×3 topics
  18. Breath Analysis19k◆ 1.01×1 topic
  19. Electronic Nose19k◆ 1.01×1 topic
  20. Photothermal Therapy19k▲ 2.8×1 topic
  21. Reactive Oxygen Species19k▲ 2.8×1 topic
  22. Wearable Sensors18k▲ 1.28×2 topics
  23. Biomaterials18k◆ 1.08×1 topic
  24. Scaffolds18k◆ 1.08×1 topic
  25. Microfluidics18k▼ 0.81×2 topics
  26. Enzymatic Hydrolysis16k▼ 0.83×1 topic
  27. Pretreatment16k▼ 0.83×1 topic
  28. In Vivo Imaging16k◆ 0.91×2 topics
  29. Bioinks15k▲ 1.35×1 topic
  30. Bioprinting15k▲ 1.35×1 topic
  31. Antibacterial Activity14k▲ 2.1×1 topic
  32. Toxicity14k▲ 2.1×1 topic
  33. Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification14k▲ 1.69×1 topic
  34. Paper-Based Microfluidics14k▲ 1.69×1 topic
  35. Actuators14k▲ 1.38×2 topics
  36. 3D Printing14k▼ 0.73×2 topics
  37. Renewable Energy14k▲ 1.17×2 topics
  38. Electromyography13k◆ 1.04×1 topic
  39. Muscle Fatigue13k◆ 1.04×1 topic
  40. Gasification13k▲ 1.29×2 topics

Which countries lead Biomedical Engineering research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Biomedical Engineering. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (131k and 54k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 21.4% top 10% · 131k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 13.9% top 10% · 54k works
  3. 3 India · #5 all time 14.2% top 10% · 38k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom · #3 all time 17.1% top 10% · 12k works
  5. 5 South Korea · #9 all time 17.7% top 10% · 13k works
  6. 6 Germany · #4 all time 12.7% top 10% · 15k works
  7. 7 Australia · #11 all time 21.4% top 10% · 5.4k works
  8. 8 Italy · #10 all time 16.4% top 10% · 10k works
  9. 9 France · #6 all time 11.9% top 10% · 10k works
  10. 10 Canada · #8 all time 15.8% top 10% · 7.5k 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 81 countries ranked in Biomedical Engineering. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Biomedical Engineering

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 131k works
  2. 2 United States 54k works
  3. 3 India 38k works
  4. 4 Japan 16k works
  5. 5 Germany 15k works
  6. 6 South Korea 13k works
  7. 7 United Kingdom 12k works
  8. 8 Russia 11k works
  9. 9 Italy 10k works
  10. 10 France 10k 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: 42.3%United States: 17.4%India: 12.3%Japan: 5.2%6 others listed: 22.7%42%largest
China131k · 42.3%United States54k · 17.4%India38k · 12.3%Japan16k · 5.2%6 others listed71k · 22.7%

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

Which institutions lead Biomedical Engineering research?

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

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #4 all time 24.6% top 10% · 2.6k works
  2. 2 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #8 all time 22.1% top 10% · 1.8k works
  3. 3 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai · #19 all time 22.4% top 10% · 2k works
  4. 4 Sichuan University China · Chengdu · #34 all time 27.0% top 10% · 1.5k works
  5. 5 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #30 all time 24.6% top 10% · 1.4k works
  6. 6 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou · #24 all time 22.3% top 10% · 1.7k works
  7. 7 Xi'an Jiaotong University China · Xi'an · #32 all time 22.4% top 10% · 2k works
  8. 8 Harbin Institute of Technology China · Harbin · #35 all time 21.6% top 10% · 1.8k works
  9. 9 Northwestern Polytechnical University China · Xi'an · #68 all time 25.1% top 10% · 848 works
  10. 10 Huazhong University of Science and Technology China · Wuhan · #48 all time 23.1% top 10% · 1.4k 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 1,568 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Biomedical Engineering.

Top 100 Biomedical Engineering institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China 2.6k works
  2. 2 Xi'an Jiaotong University China 2k works
  3. 3 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China 2k works
  4. 4 Tsinghua University China 1.8k works
  5. 5 Harbin Institute of Technology China 1.8k works
  6. 6 Zhejiang University China 1.7k works
  7. 7 Tianjin University China 1.5k works
  8. 8 Sichuan University China 1.5k works
  9. 9 Huazhong University of Science and Technology China 1.4k works
  10. 10 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China 1.4k works

Who are the leading researchers in Biomedical Engineering?

Among the most productive authors in Biomedical Engineering, Ian F. Akyildiz, David R. Smith and Rodney S. Ruoff 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 Rodney S. Ruoff United States · #685 worldwide 5.5k citations · 134 works
  4. 4 Y. Makida Japan · #885 worldwide 8.1k citations · 349 works
  5. 5 Zhuang Liu China · #1,007 worldwide 3.6k citations · 182 works
  6. 6 Naomi J. Halas United States · #1,053 worldwide 2.8k citations · 107 works
  7. 7 A. Yamamoto Japan · #1,169 worldwide 3.3k citations · 184 works
  8. 8 George M. Whitesides United States · #1,739 worldwide 4.8k citations · 265 works
  9. 9 Anantha P. Chandrakasan United States · #1,768 worldwide 2.9k citations · 178 works
  10. 10 Róbert Langer United States · #1,884 worldwide 4.2k citations · 244 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,771 highest-output authors in Biomedical Engineering. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Biomedical Engineering researchers

Where is Biomedical Engineering research done?

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

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 21k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 9.9k works
  3. 3 Nanjing China 7.5k works
  4. 4 Xi'an China 6.4k works
  5. 5 Guangzhou China 5.6k works
  6. 6 Seoul South Korea 5.3k works
  7. 7 Wuhan China 5.3k works
  8. 8 Hangzhou China 5.2k works
  9. 9 Tokyo Japan 5k works
  10. 10 Chengdu China 4.5k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. ArnesanoIT · 28.4 works8.0×
  2. Harbin38.8 works7.3×
  3. Vinon-sur-VerdonFR · 38.4 works7.2×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

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

See Biomedical Engineering on the map

Biomedical Engineering research by country

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

Where is the best place to study Biomedical Engineering?

Among universities, judged by research, King Khalid University, Southern University of Science and Technology and Shenzhen University 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 26.1%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →King Khalid University: 361, 29.5%Southern University of Science and Technology: 653, 22.5%Shenzhen University: 776, 23.6%Khalifa University of Science and Technology: 293, 25.2%Donghua University: 587, 31.4%Nanjing Forestry University: 698, 30.0%Xi'an Jiaotong University: 1,972, 22.4%University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: 1,444, 24.6%Saveetha University: 812, 21.7%Nanyang Technological University: 650, 30.1%King Khalid UniversityKhalifa University o…Shenzhen UniversitySouthern University …
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
1King Khalid University Saudi Arabia 62.929.5%2.3×361 +419.8%
2Southern University of Science and Technology China 57.222.5%2.8×653 +1759.6%
3Shenzhen University China 56.923.6%2.4×776 +210.8%
4Khalifa University of Science and Technology United Arab Emirates 56.325.2%2.8×293 +385.1%
5Donghua University China 55.331.4%3.7×587 +17.2%
6Nanjing Forestry University China 55.030.0%3.6×698 +20.7%
7Xi'an Jiaotong University China 54.922.4%2.9×1,972 +63.7%
8University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China 54.024.6%2.0×1,444 +103.4%
9Saveetha University India 53.021.7%2.0×812 +204.6%
10Nanyang Technological University Singapore 52.130.1%1.9×650 +3.6%

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 Biomedical Engineering research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 27% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications, Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics and Biodiesel Production and Applications.

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. Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications+825%
  2. Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics+459%
  3. Biodiesel Production and Applications+247%
  4. Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials+225%
  5. Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes+197%
  6. Biosensors and Analytical Detection+194%
  7. Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics-2%
  8. Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications-7%
  9. Acoustic Wave Resonator Technologies-10%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

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

What does Biomedical Engineering include?

Advanced Sensor and Ener…92kAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials: 92k fractional worksAdvanced Chemical Sensor…91kAdvanced Chemical Sensor Technologies: 91k fractional worksBiofuel production and bioconversion: 70k fractional worksAdvanced Surface Polishing Techniques: 65k fractional worksBone Tissue Engineering Materials: 65k fractional worksMuscle activation and electromyography studies: 59k fractional worksAcoustic Wave Resonator Technologies: 55k fractional worksMicrofluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications: 54k fractional worksPhase Equilibria and Thermodynamics: 52k fractional works3D Printing in Biomedical Research: 50k fractional worksNanoplatforms for cancer theranostics: 50k fractional worksMechanical Circulatory Support Devices: 48k fractional works

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