On September 19, 2025, Stanford University and the international academic publisher Elsevier jointly released the World’s Top 2% Scientists list, which recognizes the world’s most influential researchers based on standardized citation indicators. The ranking features two categories: the Career-long Impact List, which highlights cumulative scholarly influence across an entire academic career, and the Annual Impact List, which spotlights research achievements within the past year.

In sociology, 281 scholars worldwide were selected for the Career-long Impact List, including Professor Xiaogang Wu (NYU Shanghai), Yufeng Global Professor of Social Science and Director of the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research. Professor Wu is one of only two sociologists whose primary affiliations are with mainland China-based institutions. Prominent overseas Chinese sociologists on the list include Min Zhou (UCLA), Yu Xie (Princeton University), Nan Lin (Duke University), and Zhenchao Qian (Brown University).

On the Annual Impact List, which recognized 457 sociologists globally, Professor Wu once again appears—alongside Yanjie Bian (Xi’an Jiaotong University)—as one of the two scholars representing the Chinese academic community. Other leading overseas Chinese sociologists featured include Min Zhou (UCLA), Yu Xie (Princeton University), Nan Lin (Duke University), Yao Lu (Columbia University), Hu Yang (University College London), and Yue Qian (University of British Columbia).

This recognition underscores Professor Wu’s sustained contributions to the study of social stratification, inequality, and education in China and beyond, while also reflecting NYU Shanghai’s growing international visibility in the social sciences.

The full methodology and complete lists can be accessed at Elsevier Dataset.