According to the latest data from Essential Science Indicators (ESI) released by Clarivate, the physics discipline at YSU has entered the global top 1% of ESI rankings for the first time. This marks a major breakthrough in the university's research strength, academic innovation, and international influence in the field of basic disciplines. With this achievement, YSU now boasts six disciplines ranked in the global top 1% of ESI. Among them, engineering ranks in the global top 1‰, forming a development pattern led by engineering and supported by coordinated advancements across multiple disciplines, including materials science, chemistry, computer science, environmental science and ecology, and physics.
Screenshot of the Clarivate Analytics Official Website
The statistical period covered by this ESI data spans from January 1, 2015, to October 31, 2025. During this period, YSU's physics discipline demonstrated outstanding performance, with 1,685 papers indexed in ESI, a total of 20,099 citations, and an average of 11.93 citations per paper. The discipline also produced 17 highly cited papers, with all core indicators meeting the threshold for inclusion in the global top 1% of ESI physics.
This breakthrough is the result of YSU’s long-standing approach to discipline development: prioritizing engineering, integrating science and engineering, and fostering cross-disciplinary integration between the sciences and the humanities. In recent years, guided by the "Double First-Class" initiative, YSU has regarded the development of basic disciplines as a key pillar for enhancing its core competitiveness. Its research has focused on frontier areas such as condensed matter physics, optoelectronic functional materials, and specialty optical fibers, closely aligned with major national needs in energy and information-related fields. The university has produced multiple research outcomes, published in leading international journals including Physical Review Letters and Applied Physics Letters. These results demonstrate the discipline’s strong original research capacity and international academic influence.
Moving forward, YSU will take the entry of its physics discipline into the global top 1% of ESI as a new starting point. The university will continue to strengthen disciplinary characteristics and advantages, concentrate on key scientific challenges, and deepen interdisciplinary integration between physics, engineering, materials science, and related fields. Guided by major national strategies and regional development priorities, YSU will fully leverage the leading role of its ESI top 1% disciplines to comprehensively enhance overall disciplinary quality and core competitiveness, contributing more to the university's "Double First-Class" initiative and its pursuit of high-quality, in-depth development.
