Is chemistry really dying in the US and Europe? Not so fast
Chinese universities completely dominated one recent ranking of the chemical sciences but that’s not the whole picture
A recent article in the South China Morning Post declared that chemistry in the west seemed to be dying, while China was forging ahead. It noted that Chinese universities were now monopolising the top 20 spots for chemistry in the Nature Index, a global indicator of high-quality research output. Meanwhile, western institutions face cutbacks and closures, as China appears to be cementing its dominance. But is chemistry really dying in Europe and the US?