Over 10% of Indian Researchers in World’s Top 2% Scientists List Are from Tamil Nadu Universities

Featured & Cover Over 10% of Indian Researchers in World's Top 2% Scientists List Are from Tamil Nadu Universities

More than 10% of the Indian researchers featured in Stanford University’s prestigious list of the world’s top 2% scientists for 2024 hail from universities in Tamil Nadu. Out of the 5,351 Indian scientists named, around 537 are from this state.

The updated rankings were released on September 16, 2024, in collaboration with the Elsevier Data repository. This latest list offers a comprehensive science-wide author database, classifying scientists into 22 broad scientific fields and 174 sub-fields. Research articles up to the end of 2023 were considered for this ranking.

The Stanford University ranking for 2024 has recognized 2,23,152 scientists in the world’s top 2%, with 5,351 of them coming from Indian universities. This is a notable increase compared to 2023, when 4,635 Indian scientists were listed.

A closer examination of the list reveals that Tamil Nadu universities account for 537 scientists, representing more than 10% of all the Indian scientists in the ranking. Among the top Tamil Nadu institutions featured are 62 scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras), 59 from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), 35 from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, 26 from Saveetha School of Engineering, 25 from Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, 19 each from Bharathiar University, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchy, and Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, and 18 from Anna University.

In addition to these institutions, five scientists from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, located in Tirunelveli, made it into the list, along with three scientists from St. Xavier’s College in Palayamkottai and one from VO Chidambaranar College in Thoothukudi.

One of the standout achievers in this year’s ranking is Dr. S. Selvam from VO Chidambaranar College, Thoothukudi. He has been included in the world’s top 2% scientists list for the fourth consecutive time since 2021. Specializing in geology and environmental pollution in air-water sediments, Dr. Selvam has published 103 research papers. He currently ranks 44,819 globally, an improvement from his previous rank of 84,658, and has secured 633 citations with an h-index of 14 (excluding self-citations).

In a conversation with The New Indian Express, Vice Chancellor Chandrasekar of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University expressed his gratitude for the support provided by both the state and central governments for research programs. “The professors have been nurtured to encourage students and research scholars to develop novel ideas in their respective fields. As researchers, they should focus on increasing their citations to achieve higher ranks,” Chandrasekar noted.

However, educationalists have raised concerns about the challenges faced by postgraduate students and research scholars in accessing fellowships and grants offered by the government. They argue that these students need proper guidance to take full advantage of available opportunities. In addition, they suggest that Tamil Nadu’s government, which has already prioritized higher education, should also develop research-focused guidance programs to assist scholars.

Researchers also point out that availing grants has become more difficult with the introduction of certain mandatory requirements, such as the National Eligibility Test (NET) for Lectureship and the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). These tests are now required for various fellowship programs, including the Prime Minister’s Fellowship, Chief Minister’s Fellowship, Maulana Azad Fellowship for OBCs, Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship for SC/ST students, and the Single Woman Fellowship.

In the highly competitive academic landscape, the inclusion of Tamil Nadu’s researchers in this prestigious global list is a significant achievement. With over 10% representation from Tamil Nadu in Stanford’s world top 2% scientists list, the state’s research ecosystem is clearly thriving. However, challenges remain in terms of providing sufficient guidance and support to research scholars to ensure continued success.

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