How we picked 35 of the world’s top young scientists and engineers
MIT Technology Review is preparing to release its 2026 'Innovators Under 35' list, which highlights young scientists and engineers solving global challenges. The selection process involved reviewing 550 nominations to identify 35 individuals whose work shows significant promise.
Why it matters
This list serves as a bellwether for emerging technological trends and identifies the next generation of leaders in scientific and technical fields.
Our 2026 Innovators Under 35 list will be out soon. Here’s what we looked for as we sifted through 550 nominations from around the world.
Next month, on September 8, MIT Technology Review will reveal its 2026 list of Innovators Under 35, recognizing 35 young people from around the world who are doing groundbreaking scientific work and building clever technical fixes for sticky problems.
By finding the top young innovators globally and learning what they’re focused on in their work, we aim to give readers a sense of what advances to expect in the years to come. As a newsroom, we also use this exercise to help us spot rising talent and get to know some of the best early-career researchers in the fields that we cover.
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