925 Bengali Scientists Feature in Stanford's Elite Global List

A total of 925 Bengali scientists have been listed among the world's top 2 percent researchers in a Stanford University ranking, according to West Bengal Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay. The minister called the achievement a proud moment for the state and its academic community.

The minister said on Friday that the ranking is released every year by Stanford University together with Elsevier. This year, he said, Bengali scientists and research papers coming out of central and state institutions in the region had delivered impressive results. He saw this as proof that high-quality and foundational research is flourishing in Bengal.

He provided a broader picture of the list, which includes approximately 2.5 lakh scientists worldwide. Over 6,000 of them are from India. Within that group, 925 are Bengali scientists who work at a range of institutions in India and abroad.

Chattopadhyay further explained that 276 scientists from 16 prominent institutions in Bengal have earned a place on the global list. The selection criteria included their research papers and career citations. He pointed out that, on average, each institution in the state has 16 to 17 scientists featured, an accomplishment he described as substantial.

He said, "This is a great achievement in the domain of original research for Bengal. We congratulate all the scientists whose names have come up in this list and wish them continued success."

The minister stressed that the work of these researchers would be instrumental in advancing higher education across the state. He also voiced optimism that Bengal's institutions would produce further research in the coming period and that its scientists would win more international patents.