UNSW continues to climb the 2021 Nature Index

The 2021 Nature Index lists the University as 76th out of the world’s top academic institutions, up 10 places from 86th in 2020.

UNSW Sydney is rising in the ranks of global contributors to research. The University is second among 42 Australian institutions for its contribution to scientific research and ranked first in Australia for Chemistry and for Physical Sciences, second in Earth and Environment Studies, and fourth in Life Sciences.

UNSW was number one in Australia for author shares in the two top journals, Nature and Science, up from fourth last year. Its article share went up 113 per cent to rank 56th in the global academic sector, up 41 positions from 2020.

Globally Earth and Environmental Sciences ranked 24th, UNSW’s best result this year, and up 18 positions from 2020.

Professor Nicholas Fisk, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise congratulated UNSW researchers on being recognised for both the quality and quantity of their outputs in this influential international ranking. He noted that although UNSW researchers contributed more papers in the Life Sciences as appropriate in this pandemic year, its Physical Science and Chemistry authors accounted for over 60 per cent of the University’s current position.

“The doubling in influential Nature and Science papers over the last year is particularly outstanding at this difficult time, and reflects our continued focus on research excellence,” Prof. Fisk said.

The Nature Index measures top-quality research outputs in the physical, chemical, life, and earth and environmental sciences, rating institutions for their contribution to papers published across 82 of the world’s leading science journals.