Changing the balance of scientific power between China and the US

In 2024, many leading scientists in many fields left the US and Europe for China, raising concerns about a 'brain drain' in the US and Europe.

The report, published on January 11 by Shenzhen-based data technology company Dongbi Data, analyzed data over a five-year period, from 2020 to 2024.

The results show that the number of top scientists in the US has decreased from 36,599 in 2020 to 31,781 in 2024. At the same time, the US's share of the global scientific talent pool has also decreased from nearly 33% to 27%.

Meanwhile, the number of top Chinese scientists increased significantly, from 18,805 in 2020 to 32,511 in 2024. This brought China's share of the global talent pool from 17% to 28%.

According to the new report, “high-level scientific and technological talent” is defined as any researcher who has published influential papers in the world’s top journals.

The research team behind the new report from Dongbi Data looked at more than 40,000 highly cited articles published between 2020 and 2024 in 129 leading international academic journals across a range of fields, then extracted information about the authors and collated the data, according to the South China Morning Post.

It is known that in 2024, many leading scientists in many fields left the US and Europe for China, raising concerns about the 'brain drain' in the US and Europe.

7 top scientists leaving the West for China in 2024

The South China Morning Post has compiled a list of seven leading scientists in various fields who have chosen to leave the US and Europe to work in China, including both Chinese and non-Chinese people.

1. Leading cancer scientist Sun Shao-Cong:

After three decades of stellar work in the United States, world-leading cancer researcher Sun Shao-Cong has returned to China to set up a new laboratory in Beijing.

2. Nobel Prize-winning laser scientist Gérard Mourou:

French physicist Gérard Mourou - a Nobel laureate - has joined the physics department at Peking University as a chair professor.

He is expected to play a key role in establishing a research institute focused on international cooperation projects.

3. Famous mathematician Kenji Fukaya:

Japanese mathematician Kenji Fukaya - who has won many prestigious awards - has left Stony Brook University, USA to become a full-time professor at Tsinghua University, China.

4. Famous mathematician Ma Xiaonan:

Chinese mathematician Ma Xiaonan, with a decades-long career in Europe, has moved to work at Nankai University in Tianjin.

5. British Professor Zhang Yonghao:

After more than 20 years working in the UK, prominent physicist Zhang Yonghao - who specializes in research on superhigh-speed fluids - has joined China's new national hypersonics laboratory in Beijing.

6. Global climate expert Chen Deliang:

After more than three decades working in Europe, leading climate expert Chen Deliang, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, has returned to China to take up a full-time position at Tsinghua University.

7. Famous mathematician Wang Xujia:

Wang Xujia - a renowned Chinese-Australian mathematician and member of the Australian Academy of Science - has returned to his hometown of Hangzhou to join Xihu University, a prestigious Chinese university, after nearly three decades working abroad.

According to Intellectual Property

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/thay-doi-can-can-ve-tiem-luc-khoa-hoc-giua-trung-quoc-va-my/20250117093843362