Abstract:The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is one of the most successful international scientific collaboration in the field of Earth sciences. The program began in 1968 and has been ongoing for over 57 years, continuing to develop and thrive. The IODP has made numerous breakthroughs in areas such as plate tectonics, climate change, deep-sea resources, disaster prevention and mitigation, and deep-sea drilling technology, greatly advancing the progress of Earth sciences and benefiting human society. Throughout its development, the IODP has also nurtured a large number of scientific talents, with 45 scientists receiving a total of 68 globally influential awards, some of which are known as the “Nobel Prize” of Earth science. This article provides a statistical overview of outstanding talents related to the IODP, including chief scientists over the years, scientists with a high number of published papers and high research impact (H-index), and recipients of important awards in the field of Earth sciences, offering insights for establishing talent cultivation goals for China’s scientific ocean drilling endeavors.