This chart tracks the career trajectories of researchers who authored highly cited papers between 2019 and 2023 in Smart materials. It breaks down their career trajectories into 3 stages, with a country associated with each stage. One, the country they did their undergraduate studies in. Two, the country they did their postgraduate training in. Three, the country that their most recent institution affiliation is based in.

One way we can understand global movements of human talent is to better understand our institutions. It is the world’s leading institutions that, in general, are the most well positioned to tap into the global talent pool for a particular technology. Here, we look at papers published between 2019 and 2023 to rank the most competitive institutions for research in Smart materials.