InfluenceAsia
Nomination

Science Influence Research / 2023

InfluenceAsia 2023 Scientists 100

InfluenceAsia 2023 Scientists 100 identifies scientists whose work made Asia and the global Asian research community visible in a year when artificial intelligence, molecular prediction, precision medicine, climate risk, energy transition and biomedical platforms became central to scientific power.

Publication Frame Full Ranking All Editions

Publication Dataset

Annual editorial frame

A rigorous annual ranking recognizing scientists whose discoveries, platforms, methods and public relevance shaped Asia's scientific influence in 2023.

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Ranking Title

InfluenceAsia 2023 Scientists 100

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Edition Year

2023

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Publication Position

Annual editorial and research ranking

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Publisher Voice

InfluenceAsia

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Core Proposition

A rigorous annual ranking recognizing scientists whose discoveries, platforms, methods and public relevance shaped Asia's scientific influence in 2023.

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Editorial Standard

Independent, evidence-led, discipline-aware and publication-ready. The ranking is designed as an original InfluenceAsia list rather than a replica of any award roster, citation table or institutional index.

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Geographic Scope

Asia and the global Asian scientific community, including scientists whose citizenship, birthplace, research formation, long-term institutional base, heritage or field-building contribution creates a substantial Asian connection.

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Time Perspective

Written from the standpoint of the 2023 edition. Later awards, later deaths, later titles and post-2023 outcomes are not used as ranking arguments.

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Annual Focus

The top tier emphasizes generative AI foundations, AI-for-science, chemical biology, clinical imaging, sleep science, precision health, quantum matter, energy materials and resilient public-health knowledge.

Ranking Introduction

How the 2023 list defines influence

The 2023 edition treats influence as the capacity to change the tools of inquiry. The strongest scientists in this edition created architectures, models, instruments, molecular platforms, diagnostic systems and theoretical structures that other researchers could build upon at speed.

Editorial Copy

List Introduction

InfluenceAsia 2023 Scientists 100 identifies scientists whose work made Asia and the global Asian research community visible in a year when artificial intelligence, molecular prediction, precision medicine, climate risk, energy transition and biomedical platforms became central to scientific power.

Editorial Copy

Editorial Lens

The 2023 edition treats influence as the capacity to change the tools of inquiry. The strongest scientists in this edition created architectures, models, instruments, molecular platforms, diagnostic systems and theoretical structures that other researchers could build upon at speed.

Editorial Copy

Independence Statement

InfluenceAsia prepared this ranking as an original editorial research product. The list, scoring architecture, placement logic, written profiles and presentation language are controlled by InfluenceAsia. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by the scientists, their employers, public agencies, universities, companies, laboratories or research partners.

Annual Theme

Toolmakers of the Intelligent Science Era

In 2023, scientific influence increasingly belonged to researchers who changed the instruments of knowledge itself. Generative AI made the architecture of machine learning a global subject; protein-structure prediction changed biological research workflows; imaging and sequencing technologies deepened clinical precision; chemical biology opened new regulatory layers of life; quantum materials and energy systems pointed toward future infrastructure. This edition recognizes scientists whose work made science faster, more computable, more measurable and more consequential.

Generative AIAI-for-sciencetransformer architectureprotein predictionchemical biologyclinical imagingsleep sciencequantum matter

Selected Objects

Eligibility and inclusion rules

The annual list is organized around verifiable scientific contribution, Asian connection, discipline-aware evidence and the editorial horizon of 2023.

Inclusion Rule

Core Eligible Profiles

Living scientists, physician-scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, research engineers and science-led inventors whose work had demonstrable international impact by the 2023 editorial horizon.

Inclusion Rule

Asian Connection

Eligible candidates must have a substantial Asian connection through citizenship, birthplace, heritage, research formation, primary institutional work in Asia, or direct contribution to Asian scientific capacity.

Inclusion Rule

Evidence Threshold

Candidates must be verifiable public figures with a documented scientific field, recognized contribution and durable international relevance. Ambiguous, fictional, unverifiable or primarily promotional profiles are excluded.

Inclusion Rule

Exclusions

Pure administrators, political figures, celebrity technologists without direct research contributions, deceased figures before the 2023 editorial close, and profiles whose influence rests mainly on disputed or discredited science are excluded.

Top Preview

Top 10 scientists in the 2023 edition

A concise preview of the highest ranked scientists before the full searchable table. Top three: Demis Hassabis, Ashish Vaswani, Chuan He.

Rank 1

Demis Hassabis Artificial Intelligence and Computational Biology

Hassabis leads the 2023 edition because AI-for-science became one of the year's defining research frontiers. His work connected deep learning, game intelligence, neuroscience and protein-structure prediction,...

Rank 2

Ashish Vaswani Artificial Intelligence and Transformer Architecture

Vaswani is ranked second for his central role in the transformer architecture that underpinned the global generative AI surge of 2023. His influence was not merely technical; it reshaped the computational...

Rank 3

Chuan He Chemical Biology and RNA Regulation

He is included for opening a major frontier in RNA modification and gene regulation. In 2023, his work mattered because life science increasingly depended on understanding dynamic molecular marks, regulatory...

Rank 4

Hiroaki Suga Chemical Biology and Peptide Discovery

Suga is ranked for reprogramming translation systems and expanding the discovery of nonstandard peptides. His work gave chemical biology a powerful platform for exploring difficult drug targets, synthetic...

Rank 5

Masashi Yanagisawa Sleep Biology and Neurophysiology

Yanagisawa is included for discoveries that clarified the biological basis of narcolepsy and the wake-promoting orexin system. In 2023, sleep science carried growing clinical and social relevance, and his...

Rank 6

David Huang Biomedical Imaging and Ophthalmology

Huang is ranked for co-inventing and advancing optical coherence tomography, a clinical imaging technology that transformed ophthalmology. In 2023, OCT stood as a mature example of engineering science...

Rank 7

James Fujimoto Biomedical Optics and Imaging Engineering

Fujimoto is included for foundational work in optical coherence tomography and biomedical optics. His 2023 influence reflected the power of physical science and engineering to change clinical practice,...

Rank 8

Ilya Sutskever Deep Learning and Generative AI

Sutskever is ranked for foundational contributions to deep learning, sequence modelling and large-scale generative systems. In 2023, his scientific influence was unusually visible because the global...

Rank 9

Andrew Ng Machine Learning, Robotics and AI Education

Ng is included for foundational machine-learning research, large-scale deep-learning leadership and the broad training of global AI talent. In 2023, as AI literacy became a strategic need, his influence...

Rank 10

Kaiming He Computer Vision and Deep Learning

He is ranked for residual learning and deep visual representation systems that became part of modern AI infrastructure. In 2023, when foundation models and perception systems were scaling rapidly, his work...

Full Ranking

Search, filter and review all 100 entries

Use the controls to filter by Asia link, subregion or field cluster. The table shows 20 entries per page while preserving the 2023 ranking order.

InfluenceAsia 2023 Scientists 100 Showing 1-20 of 100 entries.
Rank Scientist Asia Link Field Field Cluster Score Editorial Rationale
1
Demis Hassabis
 Singapore / United Kingdom Artificial Intelligence and Computational Biology Computing and AI 99.2 Hassabis leads the 2023 edition because AI-for-science became one of the year's defining research frontiers. His work connected deep learning, game intelligence, neuroscience and protein-structure prediction, showing that machine intelligence could become a practical instrument for biology rather than only a digital product category.
2
Ashish Vaswani
 India / United States Artificial Intelligence and Transformer Architecture Computing and AI 99.0 Vaswani is ranked second for his central role in the transformer architecture that underpinned the global generative AI surge of 2023. His influence was not merely technical; it reshaped the computational grammar of language, code, images, scientific modelling and large-scale representation learning.
3
Chuan He
 China / United States Chemical Biology and RNA Regulation Chemistry, Materials and Energy 98.8 He is included for opening a major frontier in RNA modification and gene regulation. In 2023, his work mattered because life science increasingly depended on understanding dynamic molecular marks, regulatory chemistry and the mechanisms through which cells tune information after transcription.
4
Hiroaki Suga
 Japan Chemical Biology and Peptide Discovery Chemistry, Materials and Energy 98.6 Suga is ranked for reprogramming translation systems and expanding the discovery of nonstandard peptides. His work gave chemical biology a powerful platform for exploring difficult drug targets, synthetic biomolecules and new therapeutic spaces that conventional small molecules often cannot reach.
5
Masashi Yanagisawa
 Japan Sleep Biology and Neurophysiology Life Sciences 98.4 Yanagisawa is included for discoveries that clarified the biological basis of narcolepsy and the wake-promoting orexin system. In 2023, sleep science carried growing clinical and social relevance, and his work represented a decisive bridge from molecular neurobiology to treatment logic.
6
David Huang
 China / United States Biomedical Imaging and Ophthalmology Medicine and Public Health 98.2 Huang is ranked for co-inventing and advancing optical coherence tomography, a clinical imaging technology that transformed ophthalmology. In 2023, OCT stood as a mature example of engineering science becoming daily medical infrastructure, allowing noninvasive visualization of tissue at clinically decisive resolution.
7
James Fujimoto
 Japan / United States Biomedical Optics and Imaging Engineering Medicine and Public Health 98.0 Fujimoto is included for foundational work in optical coherence tomography and biomedical optics. His 2023 influence reflected the power of physical science and engineering to change clinical practice, especially in retinal disease, early diagnosis and noninvasive medical imaging.
8
Ilya Sutskever
 Israel / Canada Deep Learning and Generative AI Computing and AI 97.8 Sutskever is ranked for foundational contributions to deep learning, sequence modelling and large-scale generative systems. In 2023, his scientific influence was unusually visible because the global conversation around AI was built on methods his research helped make practical.
9
Andrew Ng
 Hong Kong / Singapore / United States Machine Learning, Robotics and AI Education Computing and AI 97.6 Ng is included for foundational machine-learning research, large-scale deep-learning leadership and the broad training of global AI talent. In 2023, as AI literacy became a strategic need, his influence extended from research laboratories to classrooms, companies and public understanding.
10
Kaiming He
 China / United States Computer Vision and Deep Learning Computing and AI 97.4 He is ranked for residual learning and deep visual representation systems that became part of modern AI infrastructure. In 2023, when foundation models and perception systems were scaling rapidly, his work remained central to the training of deep networks that can see, classify and generalize.
11
Jitendra Malik
 India / United States Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence Computing and AI 97.2 Malik is included for foundational contributions to image segmentation, object recognition and visual understanding. His 2023 relevance came from the fact that machine perception had become a core layer of robotics, autonomous systems, generative media and embodied AI.
12
Shun-ichi Amari
 Japan Information Geometry and Neural Networks Mathematics 97.0 Amari is ranked for theoretical foundations of neural networks and the establishment of information geometry. In 2023, as deep learning became the dominant computational paradigm, his work offered a deeper mathematical language for understanding learning, optimization and statistical structure.
13
Daphne Koller
 Israel / United States Probabilistic AI and Computational Biology Computing and AI 96.8 Koller is included for probabilistic graphical models, machine learning and computational approaches to biology. In 2023, her influence sat at the intersection of AI reasoning, scientific data, drug discovery and the need for interpretable structures behind automated prediction.
14
Anima Anandkumar
 India / United States Machine Learning and Scientific AI Computing and AI 96.6 Anandkumar is ranked for tensor methods, deep learning, optimization and AI for science. In 2023, her work reflected a wider shift toward using machine learning in climate, fluid dynamics, physical simulation, robotics and scientific computing.
15
Dina Katabi
 Syria / United States Wireless Systems, Sensing and Health AI Medicine and Public Health 96.4 Katabi is included for wireless sensing, networked systems and AI-enabled health monitoring. In 2023, her research represented a new kind of scientific instrument: ambient, noninvasive systems capable of translating radio signals into meaningful physiological and behavioral insight.
16
Suchi Saria
 India / United States Machine Learning and Health Informatics Medicine and Public Health 96.2 Saria is ranked for clinical machine learning, risk modelling and decision-support systems in medicine. In 2023, her influence reflected the urgent challenge of moving AI from impressive demonstrations into accountable health systems where performance, safety and workflow matter.
17
Xiao-Gang Wen
 China / United States Quantum Matter and Topological Order Physics and Space Science 96.0 Wen is included for foundational work on topological order, quantum phases and many-body theory. In 2023, his ideas remained central to quantum materials, emergent matter and the conceptual basis for fault-tolerant quantum information.
18
Masato Sagawa
 Japan Magnetic Materials and Energy Infrastructure Chemistry, Materials and Energy 95.8 Sagawa is ranked for the neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet, a materials breakthrough embedded in motors, electronics, wind power and electric mobility. In 2023, energy transition made the scientific value of high-performance magnets especially visible.
19
Ching W. Tang
 Hong Kong / United States Organic Electronics and OLED Technology Chemistry, Materials and Energy 95.6 Tang is included for foundational organic light-emitting diode technology. In 2023, his influence remained visible in displays, lighting, thin-film devices and the broader movement from molecular materials science to mass consumer electronics.
20
Akiko Iwasaki
 Japan / United States Immunology and Viral Host Response Life Sciences 95.4 Iwasaki is ranked for work on antiviral immunity, mucosal defense and host response. In 2023, immune mechanisms remained central to understanding infection, vaccination, long-term post-viral disease and the biological complexity of recovery.
21
Niki Parmar
 India / United States Artificial Intelligence and Transformer Systems Computing and AI 95.2 Parmar is included for contributions to transformer research and scalable sequence models. In 2023, her work was part of the technical lineage behind the generative AI systems that changed software, search, education, creative tools and scientific workflows.
22
June Huh
 South Korea / United States Mathematics and Geometric Combinatorics Mathematics 95.0 Huh remains a major figure in 2023 because his work brought geometric thinking into combinatorics with unusual force. His influence lies in showing how abstract structures can unlock long-standing discrete problems and reshape the frontier of modern mathematics.
23
Hidetoshi Katori
 Japan Quantum Metrology and Optical Lattice Clocks Physics and Space Science 94.8 Katori is ranked for optical lattice clock science, which redefined the precision frontier of time measurement. In 2023, his work remained important to fundamental-physics tests, geodesy, quantum engineering and the measurement infrastructure of future technologies.
24
Takuro Mochizuki
 Japan Mathematics and Algebraic Geometry Mathematics 94.6 Mochizuki is included for deep work on harmonic bundles, twistor D-modules and flat connections over algebraic varieties. His 2023 influence represents the quiet but decisive power of technical mathematics to rebuild entire theoretical landscapes.
25
Shankar Balasubramanian
 India / United Kingdom Genomics and Next-Generation Sequencing Life Sciences 94.4 Balasubramanian is ranked for sequencing-by-synthesis and the transformation of genomics into a fast, scalable scientific platform. In 2023, sequencing remained crucial to pathogen surveillance, cancer genomics, rare-disease diagnosis and the datafication of biology.
26
Syukuro Manabe
 Japan / United States Climate Science and Atmospheric Modelling Climate and Earth Systems 94.2 Manabe is included for physical climate models that gave global warming a quantitative scientific foundation. In 2023, climate attribution, policy pressure and extreme-weather analysis made his modelling legacy central to planetary risk assessment.
27
Pan Jianwei
 China Quantum Information and Quantum Communication Physics and Space Science 94.0 Pan is ranked for quantum communication, satellite-based quantum experiments and photonic quantum systems. In 2023, his work represented Asia's capacity to lead strategic frontier science where physics, communication security and computation intersect.
28
Yuk Ming Dennis Lo
 Hong Kong Genomic Medicine and Liquid Biopsy Medicine and Public Health 93.8 Lo is included for turning cell-free DNA into a clinical platform for non-invasive prenatal testing and liquid-biopsy thinking. In 2023, his influence remained strong across diagnostics, obstetrics, oncology and genomic medicine.
29
Fei-Fei Li
 China / United States Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision Computing and AI 93.6 Li is ranked for large-scale visual data, computer vision and human-centered AI leadership. In 2023, her influence remained significant because AI systems were becoming social infrastructure, requiring both technical ambition and disciplined attention to human consequence.
30
Feng Zhang
 China / United States Genome Engineering and Neurotechnology Life Sciences 93.4 Zhang is included for contributions to optogenetics and programmable genome engineering. In 2023, CRISPR systems and related tools remained central to biomedical possibility, therapeutic design, agriculture, diagnostics and bioethical debate.
31
Xiaowei Zhuang
 China / United States Bioimaging and Spatial Biology Life Sciences 93.2 Zhuang is ranked for super-resolution microscopy and spatial molecular methods. In 2023, her work helped define how scientists map molecular organization inside cells and tissues, turning visualization into a platform for biological discovery.
32
Omar M. Yaghi
 Jordan / United States Reticular Chemistry and Materials Science Chemistry, Materials and Energy 93.0 Yaghi is included for metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks and the design logic of porous materials. In 2023, his work remained relevant to water harvesting, carbon capture, gas storage, catalysis and climate-facing materials science.
33
Huda Zoghbi
 Lebanon / United States Neuroscience and Human Genetics Life Sciences 92.8 Zoghbi is ranked for discoveries connecting genes, brain development and neurodevelopmental disease. In 2023, her work remained influential across human genetics, pediatric neurology, disease modelling and the molecular study of brain disorders.
34
Ardem Patapoutian
 Lebanon / United States Neuroscience and Mechanosensation Life Sciences 92.6 Patapoutian is included for identifying mechanosensitive ion channels and clarifying how cells sense touch and pressure. In 2023, his influence continued through pain research, physiology, sensory biology and the molecular understanding of embodied experience.
35
Shinya Yamanaka
 Japan Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Medicine and Public Health 92.4 Yamanaka is ranked for induced pluripotent stem cell science, a platform that continued to shape regenerative medicine, disease modelling and drug discovery in 2023. His influence remains one of the clearest examples of a biological concept becoming a global research infrastructure.
36
Ugur Sahin
 Turkey / Germany Immunology, Oncology and mRNA Medicine Medicine and Public Health 92.2 Sahin is included for mRNA medicine, cancer immunotherapy and the translation of platform biology into public-health consequence. In 2023, the scientific value of adaptable RNA technologies remained central to vaccines, oncology and future infectious-disease preparedness.
37
Ozlem Tureci
 Turkey / Germany Immunology, Oncology and Translational Medicine Medicine and Public Health 92.0 Tureci is ranked for translational immunology and mRNA-based medicine. In 2023, her work represented the discipline needed to move platform biology through clinical evidence, manufacturing reality and the difficult path from concept to population-scale medicine.
38
Manjul Bhargava
 India / Canada / United States Mathematics and Number Theory Mathematics 91.8 Bhargava is included for reshaping number theory through arithmetic statistics and algebraic structures. His 2023 influence remained visible in elite mathematical research and in the public image of mathematics as creative, structural and international.
39
Terence Tao
 Hong Kong / Australia / United States Mathematics and Analysis Mathematics 91.6 Tao is ranked for extraordinary breadth across analysis, number theory, combinatorics and partial differential equations. In 2023, his influence came from sustained problem-shaping power rather than a single annual event.
40
Akshay Venkatesh
 India / Australia / United States Mathematics and Automorphic Forms Mathematics 91.4 Venkatesh is included for work linking number theory, dynamics, representation theory and topology. His 2023 relevance reflects a modern mathematical style that connects distant fields through elegant structure and flexible technique.
41
Andrew Yao
 China / United States Theoretical Computer Science Computing and AI 91.2 Yao is ranked for computational complexity, communication complexity, cryptography and algorithms. In 2023, his influence remained strong through the theoretical foundations of computer science and the formation of elite Asian research environments.
42
Shafi Goldwasser
 Israel / United States Cryptography and Computational Theory Computing and AI 91.0 Goldwasser is included for probabilistic encryption, zero-knowledge proofs and complexity theory. In 2023, her work remained central to digital trust, secure computation and the mathematical basis of privacy in networked life.
43
Adi Shamir
 Israel Cryptography and Computer Science Computing and AI 90.8 Shamir is ranked for public-key cryptography, cryptanalysis and secure computation. By 2023, his influence was embedded in authentication, digital finance, communication security and the invisible infrastructure of the internet.
44
Raj Reddy
 India / United States Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Computing and AI 90.6 Reddy is included for foundational work in artificial intelligence, speech recognition and human-computer interaction. In 2023, his early work gained renewed significance as AI became a general-purpose technological layer.
45
Zoubin Ghahramani
 Iran / United Kingdom / United States Machine Learning and Probabilistic AI Computing and AI 90.4 Ghahramani is ranked for probabilistic machine learning, Bayesian methods and leadership in AI research. In 2023, his influence highlighted the need for machine intelligence that can reason under uncertainty rather than only scale prediction.
46
Takeo Kanade
 Japan / United States Robotics and Computer Vision Computing and AI 90.2 Kanade is included for work in robotics, visual tracking, facial recognition and autonomous systems. In 2023, the growing importance of machine perception made his scientific arc relevant to robotics, vehicles and interactive AI systems.
47
Rashid Sunyaev
 Uzbekistan / Germany / Russia Astrophysics and Cosmology Physics and Space Science 90.0 Sunyaev is ranked for high-energy astrophysics, cosmic background studies and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. In 2023, his influence remained important to cosmology, galaxy clusters and the interpretation of large-scale structure.
48
Nima Arkani-Hamed
 Iran / Canada / United States Theoretical Physics Physics and Space Science 89.8 Arkani-Hamed is included for original work on particle physics, scattering amplitudes, extra dimensions and future collider thinking. In 2023, he remained one of the most influential theorists shaping the search for deeper physical laws.
49
Cumrun Vafa
 Iran / United States String Theory and Mathematical Physics Physics and Space Science 89.6 Vafa is ranked for string dualities, quantum gravity, black hole entropy and the geometry of field theory. In 2023, his work remained central to the mathematical language of fundamental physics.
50
M. Zahid Hasan
 Bangladesh / United States Topological Materials and Quantum Matter Physics and Space Science 89.4 Hasan is included for experimental work on topological insulators, Weyl fermions and quantum materials. In 2023, his influence connected condensed matter physics to materials with unusual electronic and topological properties.
51
Ali Yazdani
 Iran / United States Quantum Materials and Nanoscale Spectroscopy Physics and Space Science 89.2 Yazdani is ranked for nanoscale studies of superconductors, topological materials and correlated electron systems. His 2023 influence reflected the power of precision instruments to reveal quantum behavior at atomic and electronic scales.
52
Hitoshi Murayama
 Japan / United States Particle Physics and Cosmology Physics and Space Science 89.0 Murayama is included for work across particle physics, neutrinos, dark matter and cosmology. In 2023, his influence linked deep theory, scientific communication and institution-building across international physics communities.
53
Nergis Mavalvala
 Pakistan / United States Gravitational-Wave Physics and Quantum Measurement Physics and Space Science 88.8 Mavalvala is ranked for gravitational-wave detection, precision interferometry and quantum measurement science. In 2023, her work remained a model of frontier physics built from instrumentation, collaboration and extreme measurement discipline.
54
Linfa Wang
 China / Singapore / Australia Emerging Infectious Disease and Bat Virology Medicine and Public Health 88.6 Wang is included for research on bat-borne viruses, zoonotic emergence and viral ecology. In 2023, his work remained important to understanding reservoir science, spillover risk and the evidence base for pandemic preparedness.
55
Hualan Chen
 China Virology and Veterinary Infectious Disease Medicine and Public Health 88.4 Chen is ranked for avian influenza surveillance, viral evolution and vaccine research. In 2023, her influence sat at the intersection of animal health, food systems, human risk and infectious-disease early warning.
56
Malik Peiris
 Sri Lanka / Hong Kong Virology and Emerging Infectious Disease Medicine and Public Health 88.2 Peiris is included for contributions to influenza, SARS-related coronavirus research and outbreak virology. In 2023, his expertise remained relevant to diagnostics, surveillance and the scientific interpretation of respiratory-virus evolution.
57
Gagandeep Kang
 India Vaccinology, Microbiology and Public Health Medicine and Public Health 88.0 Kang is ranked for vaccine research, enteric infections, child health and public-health science in India. In 2023, her influence reflected the bridge between laboratory evidence, field trials, community health and implementation.
58
Soumya Swaminathan
 India Tuberculosis, HIV and Global Health Science Medicine and Public Health 87.8 Swaminathan is included for research on tuberculosis and HIV and for the translation of scientific evidence into health decision-making. In 2023, her profile represented disciplined public-health science in an era of contested evidence.
59
K. VijayRaghavan
 India Developmental Biology and Science Leadership Life Sciences 87.6 VijayRaghavan is ranked for developmental genetics, neurogenetics and the building of Indian biological research capacity. In 2023, his influence remained connected to the institutional conditions that allow ambitious life science to grow.
60
Rattan Lal
 India / United States Soil Science and Climate-Smart Agriculture Climate and Earth Systems 87.4 Lal is included for soil carbon, sustainable land management and soil as climate infrastructure. In 2023, his work mattered to food security, carbon sequestration, agricultural resilience and adaptation under climate pressure.
61
Gurdev Khush
 India / Philippines / United States Rice Genetics and Plant Breeding Agriculture and Food Systems 87.2 Khush is ranked for rice breeding that improved yields and food security across Asia. In 2023, his influence remained embedded in crop genetics, agricultural systems and the long scientific effort to feed large populations sustainably.
62
C. N. R. Rao
 India Materials Chemistry and Solid-State Science Chemistry, Materials and Energy 87.0 Rao is included for materials chemistry across oxides, nanomaterials and solid-state systems. In 2023, his standing reflected both discovery and the formation of scientific capacity across Indian research institutions.
63
Zhong Nanshan
 China Respiratory Medicine and Public Health Medicine and Public Health 86.8 Zhong is ranked for respiratory medicine, clinical interpretation and public-health authority. In 2023, his influence remained tied to the importance of experienced physician-scientists during respiratory disease uncertainty and public trust challenges.
64
Chen-Ning Yang
 China / United States Theoretical Physics Physics and Space Science 86.6 Yang is included for foundational contributions to symmetry, gauge theory and particle physics. In 2023, his influence remained embedded in modern theoretical physics and in the symbolic architecture of Chinese scientific achievement.
65
Tsung-Dao Lee
 China / United States Theoretical Physics Physics and Space Science 86.4 Lee is ranked for work on parity violation and for broader scientific bridge-building. In 2023, his profile represented long-range authority in fundamental physics and the training of elite scientific talent.
66
Shing-Tung Yau
 China / United States Mathematics and Geometric Analysis Mathematics 86.2 Yau is included for transforming geometric analysis, differential geometry and mathematical physics. In 2023, his influence continued through research, education and institution-building for Chinese and Asian mathematics.
67
S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan
 India / United States Probability Theory and Mathematics Mathematics 86.0 Varadhan is ranked for deep work in probability theory, large deviations and stochastic processes. His 2023 influence remained foundational for mathematics, statistical physics, risk, finance and the theoretical language of uncertainty.
68
Ngo Bao Chau
 Vietnam / France Mathematics and Representation Theory Mathematics 85.8 Ngo is included for proving the fundamental lemma and for raising the international visibility of Vietnamese mathematics. In 2023, his influence combined abstract depth with the institution-building needed for emerging scientific communities.
69
Caucher Birkar
 Iran / United Kingdom Mathematics and Algebraic Geometry Mathematics 85.6 Birkar is ranked for major advances in birational geometry, Fano varieties and the minimal model program. In 2023, his profile remained a powerful example of mathematical leadership emerging from an Asian background into global prominence.
70
Elon Lindenstrauss
 Israel Mathematics and Dynamical Systems Mathematics 85.4 Lindenstrauss is included for work connecting ergodic theory, number theory and homogeneous dynamics. In 2023, his methods continued to influence advanced questions about rigidity, distribution and mathematical structure.
71
Yitang Zhang
 China / United States Mathematics and Number Theory Mathematics 85.2 Zhang is ranked for the breakthrough on bounded gaps between prime numbers. In 2023, his influence still represented the rare power of a single mathematical result to reopen a classical problem and redirect an active field.
72
Nieng Yan
 China / United States Structural Biology and Membrane Proteins Life Sciences 85.0 Yan is included for high-impact structures of membrane transporters and channels. In 2023, her work remained important to molecular medicine, cellular physiology and the global standing of Chinese structural biology.
73
Yigong Shi
 China Structural Biology and Cell Mechanisms Life Sciences 84.8 Shi is ranked for structural studies of apoptosis, spliceosomes and cellular machinery, as well as institution-building in China. In 2023, his influence combined molecular discovery with the design of advanced life-science infrastructure.
74
Wang Yifang
 China Experimental Particle Physics and Neutrinos Physics and Space Science 84.6 Wang is included for leadership in neutrino physics and China's particle-physics infrastructure. In 2023, his influence reflected the ability of Asian-led large experiments to produce measurements of global significance.
75
Yi Cui
 China / United States Nanomaterials, Energy and Environment Climate and Earth Systems 84.4 Cui is ranked for nanomaterials research in batteries, energy storage, environmental technology and advanced characterization. In 2023, his work remained aligned with safer batteries, cleaner materials and scalable climate technologies.
76
Peidong Yang
 China / United States Nanoscience and Artificial Photosynthesis Chemistry, Materials and Energy 84.2 Yang is included for semiconductor nanowires, nanoscale materials and artificial photosynthesis. In 2023, his influence remained important to renewable fuels, energy conversion and the chemistry-materials interface.
77
Zhenan Bao
 China / United States Chemical Engineering and Flexible Electronics Chemistry, Materials and Energy 84.0 Bao is ranked for skin-inspired electronics, organic semiconductors and flexible materials. In 2023, her work mattered to wearable devices, soft robotics, biomedical sensors and human-compatible electronics.
78
Ali Javey
 Iran / United States Nanotechnology and Semiconductor Devices Chemistry, Materials and Energy 83.8 Javey is included for nanomaterials, semiconductor devices, flexible electronics and energy-related materials. In 2023, his influence connected nanoscale fabrication with practical electronics, sensing and solar-energy conversion.
79
Nader Engheta
 Iran / United States Metamaterials and Nanophotonics Physics and Space Science 83.6 Engheta is ranked for metamaterials, plasmonics and optical nanocircuit concepts. In 2023, his work remained influential where electromagnetism, computation and engineered materials meet.
80
Aydogan Ozcan
 Turkey / United States Computational Imaging and Bioengineering Life Sciences 83.4 Ozcan is included for lens-free microscopy, mobile diagnostics and computational imaging. In 2023, his work reflected the push toward scalable diagnostic tools and the merging of optics, AI and biomedical engineering.
81
Kazunari Domen
 Japan Photocatalysis and Solar Fuels Chemistry, Materials and Energy 83.2 Domen is ranked for photocatalysis and water-splitting research aimed at solar fuel production. In 2023, his influence sat within the search for systems capable of storing renewable energy in chemical form.
82
Qikun Xue
 China Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Materials Physics and Space Science 83.0 Xue is included for work on quantum materials, thin films and the quantum anomalous Hall effect. In 2023, his influence reflected China's growing authority in precision condensed-matter experiments.
83
Hideo Hosono
 Japan Materials Science and Superconductors Physics and Space Science 82.8 Hosono is ranked for transparent oxide semiconductors, iron-based superconductors and functional materials discovery. In 2023, his work connected basic materials chemistry to electronics, display technology and superconducting systems.
84
Sumio Iijima
 Japan Nanotechnology and Carbon Nanotubes Chemistry, Materials and Energy 82.6 Iijima is included for carbon nanotube research that catalyzed modern nanotechnology. In 2023, his influence remained visible across materials science, nanoscale electronics, microscopy and carbon-based device thinking.
85
Shimon Sakaguchi
 Japan Immunology and Regulatory T Cells Life Sciences 82.4 Sakaguchi is ranked for discovering and defining regulatory T cells. In 2023, his work remained central to immune tolerance, autoimmunity, cancer immunity, transplantation and the biological balance of the immune system.
86
Masayo Takahashi
 Japan Ophthalmology and Regenerative Medicine Medicine and Public Health 82.2 Takahashi is included for pioneering clinical work using induced pluripotent stem cells in retinal disease. In 2023, her influence represented the difficult movement from cell-platform discovery to responsible therapeutic testing.
87
Kazutoshi Mori
 Japan Cell Biology and Protein Quality Control Life Sciences 82.0 Mori is ranked for discoveries in the unfolded protein response, a pathway central to cellular stress and disease. In 2023, his work informed research into neurodegeneration, metabolism, secretory-pathway stress and cell survival.
88
Atsushi Miyawaki
 Japan Bioimaging and Fluorescent Protein Technology Life Sciences 81.8 Miyawaki is included for fluorescent protein tools and live-cell imaging technologies. In 2023, his influence remained widespread across neuroscience, developmental biology, cell biology and microscopy-driven discovery.
89
Yoshinori Ohsumi
 Japan Cell Biology and Autophagy Life Sciences 81.6 Ohsumi is ranked for making autophagy a central concept in cell biology, metabolism, infection, aging and neurodegeneration. In 2023, his discoveries continued to shape research into cellular recycling, repair and stress response.
90
Satoshi Omura
 Japan Natural Products and Infectious Disease Medicine and Public Health 81.4 Omura is included for natural-product discovery with enormous impact on parasite control and global health. In 2023, his work remained a model for drug discovery rooted in microbial chemistry and patient-facing consequence.
91
Takaaki Kajita
 Japan Particle Astrophysics and Neutrino Physics Physics and Space Science 81.2 Kajita is ranked for neutrino research that changed understanding of particle mass. In 2023, his influence remained central to Asian experimental physics and the continuing search for physics beyond established models.
92
Shuji Nakamura
 Japan / United States Semiconductor Engineering and Photonics Physics and Space Science 81.0 Nakamura is included for the blue LED breakthrough that reshaped lighting, displays and energy-efficient electronics. In 2023, his contribution remained visible in global energy use, consumer technology and semiconductor materials research.
93
Hiroshi Amano
 Japan Semiconductor Materials and Optoelectronics Physics and Space Science 80.8 Amano is ranked for high-quality gallium nitride and blue LED technology. In 2023, the societal reach of this work remained visible in efficient lighting, display systems, communications and lower-energy infrastructure.
94
Ryoji Noyori
 Japan Chemistry and Asymmetric Catalysis Chemistry, Materials and Energy 80.6 Noyori is included for catalytic methods that reshaped stereoselective synthesis and pharmaceutical chemistry. In 2023, his influence remained embedded wherever selective, scalable chemistry supported medicine, materials and industrial production.
95
Susumu Tonegawa
 Japan / United States Immunology and Neuroscience Life Sciences 80.4 Tonegawa is ranked for explaining antibody diversity and later expanding into neuroscience. In 2023, his profile still represented rare originality across major biological fields.
96
Aziz Sancar
 Turkey / United States DNA Repair and Molecular Biology Life Sciences 80.2 Sancar is included for illuminating DNA repair mechanisms connected to cancer, aging, circadian biology and environmental damage. In 2023, genome maintenance remained central to biomedical research and precision medicine.
97
David Ho
 Taiwan / United States Virology and HIV Medicine Medicine and Public Health 80.0 Ho is ranked for transforming HIV treatment through combination therapy and viral-dynamics insight. In 2023, his work retained relevance as antiviral strategy, immune escape and pandemic preparedness continued to occupy global medicine.
98
Xiaodong Wang
 China / United States Apoptosis and Biomedical Research Medicine and Public Health 79.8 Wang is included for discoveries in programmed cell death and molecular pathways relevant to cancer, immunity and development. In 2023, his influence also reflected the growth of high-standard biomedical research ecosystems connected to China.
99
Tak Wah Mak
 Hong Kong / Canada Immunology and Cancer Biology Life Sciences 79.6 Mak is ranked for the discovery of the T-cell receptor and later work in immune regulation, apoptosis and cancer metabolism. In 2023, his influence stretched from foundational immunology to the scientific basis of modern immunotherapy.
100
Daniel Shechtman
 Israel Materials Science and Quasicrystals Chemistry, Materials and Energy 79.4 Shechtman completes the 2023 list for discovering quasicrystals, a result that changed crystallography and materials science. His influence remains a model of disciplined evidence overcoming entrenched scientific resistance.

Research Dimensions

Six weighted dimensions behind the ranking

Placement reflects the combined strength of discovery originality, international influence, applied consequence, Asia-system contribution, 2023 relevance and field architecture. No single factor automatically determines rank.

25% weight

Discovery Originality

The degree to which the scientist introduced a new discovery, method, theory, material, platform, algorithm, treatment model or research direction.

20% weight

Global Scientific Influence

International recognition across disciplines, research communities, major laboratories, professional networks and enduring scientific literature.

15% weight

Applied and Societal Consequence

Real-world importance in medicine, public health, agriculture, energy, communication, computing, industry, policy or quality of life.

15% weight

Asia Knowledge-System Contribution

Contribution to Asian research institutions, talent formation, regional scientific confidence, Asian-led projects, or global visibility of Asian science.

15% weight

2023 Relevance

Relevance to the scientific, public-health, technological, environmental or institutional questions that were especially visible in 2023.

10% weight

Leadership and Field Architecture

Capacity to build fields, laboratories, platforms, collaborations, standards, schools of thought or durable scientific communities.

Methodology

Scoring, review process and limits

InfluenceAsia uses a 100-point editorial research framework. Scores are comparative indicators within this 2023 edition, not laboratory measurements, financial valuations, citation counts or prize points.

Method Element

Scoring Model

InfluenceAsia uses a 100-point editorial research framework. Scores are comparative indicators within this 2023 edition, not laboratory measurements, financial valuations, citation counts or prize points.

Method Element

Review Process

Candidates are assessed by discipline clusters, then normalized across fields to reduce bias toward AI visibility, biomedical publicity, prize cycles, public-health prominence, technology commercialization or single-year media attention alone.

Method Element

Ranking Logic

Placement reflects the combined strength of discovery originality, international influence, applied consequence, Asia-system contribution, 2023 relevance and field architecture. No single factor automatically determines rank.

Method Element

Verification Standard

Every included scientist must have a verifiable identity, recognized field and defensible scientific contribution. Profiles with unverifiable claims, primarily promotional narratives, or unresolved credibility concerns are excluded.

Method Element

2023 Time Control

The editorial voice is anchored to 2023. Later recognitions may confirm a scientist's standing, but they are not used as the basis of the 2023 ranking copy.

Method Element

Limits

Scientific influence is uneven across disciplines, publication cultures, languages, institutional systems and disclosure practices. InfluenceAsia therefore treats the final order as a professional editorial ranking rather than a mechanical calculation.