Switzerland's Top 2% Scientists 2024: Career-Long List

Switzerland has 3,431 scientists on the 2024 career-long Top 2% list, up 5.2% from 3,261 in 2023. That places Switzerland 12th in the world by number of listed scientists, down 1 place. ETH Zürich has the most listed scientists (511), followed by Universität Zürich (330).

Single Year

3,404

+93 (+2.8%) vs 2023

Career Data

3,431

+170 (+5.2%) vs 2023

World rank by count

#12

down 1 place vs 2023

Institutes

467

-1 (-0.2%) vs 2023

Scientists in Switzerland on the list, by year

The career-long count has grown 35% since 2020.

Career-long list, change on the previous year

2021+16.8%

2022+5.6%

2023+3.8%

2024+5.2%

2025+6.6%

Show the numbers

Year	Single Year	Change	Career Data	Change
2020	2,622		2,546
2021	3,016	+15.0%	2,974	+16.8%
2022	3,233	+7.2%	3,141	+5.6%
2023	3,311	+2.4%	3,261	+3.8%
2024	3,404	+2.8%	3,431	+5.2%
2025	3,549	+4.3%	3,659	+6.6%

Top 10 institutes in Switzerland

By number of listed scientists

Career-long list2024

Show the list

1ETH Zürich511
2Universität Zürich330
3École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne280
4Université de Genève213
5University of Bern195
6Universität Basel151
7Université de Lausanne (UNIL)146
8Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève84
9UniversitatsSpital Zurich83
10Organisation Mondiale de la Santé76

All 3,431 scientists

Career-long list2024

The first 100 are free to browse.

Export CSV

Rank in Switzerland	World rank	Scientist	Institute	Sub-field	Rank in sub-field
1	1	GM Grätzel, Michael	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Nanoscience & Nanotechnology	Rank 1
2	78	LU Laemmli, Ulrich K.	Université de Genève	Developmental Biology	Rank 8
3	89	HD Hanahan, Douglas	Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 5
4	157	EM Egger, M.	University of Bern	General & Internal Medicine	Rank 8
5	313	SJ Schmidhuber, Jürgen	IDSIA Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 10
6	487	SC Szabo, Csaba	University of Fribourg	Pharmacology & Pharmacy	Rank 4
7	599	KC Körner, Christian	Universität Basel	Ecology	Rank 11
8	604	AR Aebersold, Ruedi	ETH Zürich	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 38
9	694	HD Helbing, Dirk	ETH Zürich	Fluids & Plasmas	Rank 6
10	763	GN Gisin, Nicolas	Université de Genève	General Physics	Rank 3
11	855	DB Delley, Bernard	Paul Scherrer Institut	Applied Physics	Rank 32
12	885	LA Lanzavecchia, Antonio	Vir Biotechnology, Inc.	Immunology	Rank 37
13	902	SD Seebach, Dieter	ETH Zürich	Organic Chemistry	Rank 26
14	948	AJ Auwerx, Johan	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 53
15	1,008	NE Nigg, Erich A.	Biozentrum, Universität Basel	Developmental Biology	Rank 62
16	1,182	UM Unser, Michael	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 34
17	1,231	SN Spaldin, Nicola A.	ETH Zürich	Applied Physics	Rank 47
18	1,245	WK Wüthrich, Kurt	ETH Zürich	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 66
19	1,379	FE Fehr, Ernst	Universität Zürich	Economics	Rank 13
20	1,422	ZR Zinkernagel, Rolf M.	UniversitatsSpital Zurich	Immunology	Rank 54
21	1,447	CP Clavien, Pierre Alain	UniversitatsSpital Zurich	Surgery	Rank 3
22	1,448	TJ Tschopp, Jürg	Université de Lausanne (UNIL)	Immunology	Rank 55
23	1,480	WM Weller, Michael	Universität Zürich	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 64
24	1,483	BM Büttiker, Markus	Université de Genève	Applied Physics	Rank 56
25	1,561	NP Nordmann, Patrice	University of Fribourg	Microbiology	Rank 25
26	1,635	HA Helenius, Ari	ETH Zürich	Developmental Biology	Rank 102
27	1,674	NM Nazeeruddin, Mohammad K.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Nanoscience & Nanotechnology	Rank 46
28	1,795	PD Pittet, Didier	Université de Genève	Microbiology	Rank 29
29	1,815	EL Excoffier, Laurent	University of Bern	Evolutionary Biology	Rank 29
30	1,849	AJ Angst, Jules	Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich	Psychiatry	Rank 63
31	1,907	BJ Bünzli, Jean Claude G.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry	Rank 12
32	1,919	LM Lüscher, Martin	Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire	Nuclear & Particle Physics	Rank 17
33	2,107	NL Novotny, Lukas	ETH Zürich	Optics	Rank 14
34	2,116	VG von Gunten, Urs	Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology	Environmental Engineering	Rank 5
35	2,259	RJ Reubi, Jean Claude	University of Bern	Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging	Rank 6
36	2,304	FB Frey, Bruno	Universität Basel	Economics	Rank 20
37	2,318	FR Frackowiak, Richard S.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 219
38	2,408	BA Baiker, Alfons	ETH Zürich	Physical Chemistry	Rank 13
39	2,436	BM Baggiolini, Marco	University of Bern	Immunology	Rank 93
40	2,585	PT Perneger, Thomas	Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève	General & Internal Medicine	Rank 49
41	2,690	SM Schwab, Martin E.	Universität Zürich	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 250
42	2,717	VP Vuilleumier, Patrik	Université de Genève	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 252
43	2,738	SM Siegrist, Michael	ETH Zürich	Strategic, Defence & Security Studies	Rank 3
44	2,867	AC Akdis, Cezmi A.	Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research	Allergy	Rank 12
45	2,897	SF Sallusto, Federica	Istituto di Ricerca in Biomedicina, Bellinzona	Immunology	Rank 114
46	2,944	DV Dietz, Volker	Uniklinik Balgrist	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 273
47	2,973	SK Scrivener, Karen L.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Building & Construction	Rank 3
48	3,135	MF Messerli, Franz H.	University of Bern	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 155
49	3,150	GG Gabbiani, Giulio	Université de Genève	Pathology	Rank 11
50	3,246	SB Smit, Berend	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Chemical Physics	Rank 98
51	3,271	BA Borbély, Alexander	Universität Zürich	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 295
52	3,449	KJ Kolar, Johann W.	ETH Zürich	Electrical & Electronic Engineering	Rank 8
53	3,524	HM Hengartner, Michael O.	ETH Zürich	Developmental Biology	Rank 191
54	3,537	PL Piddock, Laura J.V.	Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP)	Microbiology	Rank 74
55	3,654	BJ Bosch, Jaime	University Hospital Bern	Gastroenterology & Hepatology	Rank 62
56	3,708	AA Aguzzi, Adriano	Universität Zürich	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 332
57	3,746	AS Antonarakis, Stylianos E.	Université de Genève	Genetics & Heredity	Rank 6
58	3,747	LN Lang, Niklaus P.	University of Bern	Dentistry	Rank 7
59	3,748	VM Vetterli, Martin	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Networking & Telecommunications	Rank 24
60	3,890	PJ Pérez-Ramírez, Javier	ETH Zürich	Organic Chemistry	Rank 101
61	3,899	DD Damjanovic, Dragan	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Applied Physics	Rank 115
62	3,989	VO Voinnet, Olivier	ETH Zürich	Developmental Biology	Rank 210
63	4,104	PS Pratsinis, Sotiris E.	ETH Zürich	Chemical Engineering	Rank 16
64	4,206	CE Constable, Edwin C.	Universität Basel	Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry	Rank 22
65	4,267	RR Rizzoli, Rene	Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève	Endocrinology & Metabolism	Rank 134
66	4,448	WA Wagner, Andreas	Universität Zürich	Evolutionary Biology	Rank 49
67	4,474	TB Thorens, Bernard	Université de Lausanne (UNIL)	Endocrinology & Metabolism	Rank 140
68	4,477	WE Weibel, Ewald R.	University of Bern	Physiology	Rank 12
69	4,521	WS Windecker, Stephan	University Hospital Bern	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 231
70	4,538	SA Steinfeld, Aldo	ETH Zürich	Energy	Rank 51
71	4,579	NB Nowack, Bernd	Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology	Environmental Sciences	Rank 24
72	4,593	SA Sayed, Ali H.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Networking & Telecommunications	Rank 32
73	4,627	KU Keller, Ursula	ETH Zürich	Optics	Rank 27
74	4,629	MH Markram, Henry	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 404
75	4,672	HT Hofmann, Thomas	ETH Zürich	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 109
76	4,716	DO de Onis, Mercedes	Organisation Mondiale de la Santé	Nutrition & Dietetics	Rank 40
77	4,728	CW Curtin, W. A.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Materials	Rank 53
78	4,769	VS van Schaik, Carel P.	Universität Zürich	Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology	Rank 8
79	4,775	ZJ Zhu, Jieping	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Organic Chemistry	Rank 117
80	4,806	LD Loss, Daniel	Universität Basel	Applied Physics	Rank 134
81	4,816	VG van Gunsteren, Wilfred F.	ETH Zürich	Chemical Physics	Rank 132
82	4,874	BT Boller, Thomas	Universität Basel	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 34
83	4,901	ST Stocker, Thomas F.	University of Bern	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences	Rank 58
84	5,008	GC Gerber, Christian	Universität Zürich	Orthopedics	Rank 20
85	5,071	GJ Gôudét, Jerome	Université de Lausanne (UNIL)	Evolutionary Biology	Rank 66
86	5,105	BE Bakker, Eric	Université de Genève	Analytical Chemistry	Rank 22
87	5,301	SN Sartorius, Norman	Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes	Psychiatry	Rank 152
88	5,307	SH Simon, Hans Uwe	University of Bern	Allergy	Rank 17
89	5,435	HE Hunziker, Ernst B.	University Hospital Bern	Biomedical Engineering	Rank 22
90	5,527	AM Aapro, Matti S.	Clinique de Genolier	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 244
91	5,904	SA Schier, Alexander F.	Biozentrum, Universität Basel	Developmental Biology	Rank 288
92	5,961	KW Koppenol, Willem H.	ETH Zürich	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 276
93	6,001	SH Steinhausen, Hans Christoph	Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich	Developmental & Child Psychology	Rank 58
94	6,059	SP Schmid-Hempel, Paul	ETH Zürich	Evolutionary Biology	Rank 77
95	6,099	DP Dyson, Paul J.	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Organic Chemistry	Rank 140
96	6,100	HB Hemmings, Brian A.	Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 286
97	6,182	ZA Züttel, Andreas	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	Materials	Rank 76
98	6,220	BL Benini, Luca	ETH Zürich	Computer Hardware & Architecture	Rank 3
99	6,239	JL Jäncke, Lutz	Universität Zürich	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 531
100	6,377	SK Scherer, Klaus R.	Université de Genève	Social Psychology	Rank 95
No scientists match this filter.

Showing 1 to 100 of the first 100 Show

Paid plans

See all 3,431 scientists in Switzerland

You are seeing the first 100. 3,331 more are on the 2024 career-long list.

Ranks 101 to 3,431The whole list, not only the top 100.

Every year since 2020Single Year and Career Data.

Search the full listBy name, institute or sub-field.

CSV exportDownload the list for your own work.

View Plans & Upgrade Compare plans

Cancel anytime · Secure billing

Countries with a similar count

Career-long list2024

Italy6,272 scientistsin 2024

Netherlands4,515 scientistsin 2024

Spain3,508 scientistsin 2024

Sweden3,353 scientistsin 2024

India2,939 scientistsin 2024

South Korea2,366 scientistsin 2024

Explore other countries

Career-long list2024

Germany11,573 scientistsin 2024

France6,921 scientistsin 2024

Belgium1,997 scientistsin 2024

Austria1,403 scientistsin 2024

Luxembourg53 scientistsin 2024

United Kingdom19,646 scientistsin 2024

All countries on the world map

Frequently asked questions

How many scientists from Switzerland are in the 2024 Stanford Top 2% list?

3,404 scientists affiliated with Switzerland are on the 2024 single-year list, and 3,431 are on the career-long list.

Which institute in Switzerland has the most Top 2% scientists?

On the 2024 career-long list, ETH Zürich has the most listed scientists from Switzerland, with 511. It is followed by Universität Zürich with 330.

How has the number of Top 2% scientists in Switzerland changed since 2020?

On the career-long list, Switzerland went from 2,546 scientists in 2020 to 3,431 in 2024, a change of +34.8%.

What is the difference between the single-year and career-long lists?

The single-year list ranks scientists on the citations their work received in one year. The career-long list ranks them on citations across their whole career. Both lists are published every year, and a scientist can be on one, both or neither.

What is the official source of this data?

The rankings come from the science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators published by Ioannidis et al. in the Elsevier Data Repository, updated every year. TOPSCINET, an independent platform, organises that data by country, year, institute and field, so you can compare and explore it.