Queensland, Australia
August 16, 2012
The University of Queensland (UQ) has been ranked in the top 4 per cent of universities in the world for agricultural science in the prestigious 2012 World Rankings of World Universities, which were announced this week.
With a world ranking of 45 out of more than 1200 universities, UQ has also been ranked as the top university in Queensland and top three nationally for its research and teaching in the life and agricultural sciences.
Head of UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Professor Neal Menzies, said UQ agricultural science had moved up the global ranking system by five places from the previous ranking of 50.
“This global ranking has a strong emphasis on research and so the result reflects the high quality of UQ researchers who are working on some of the biggest issues in agricultural science,” Professor Menzies said.
“The University’s research capacity in agriculture and food sciences has been strengthened with the formation of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), which brings together scientists from the Queensland Government and UQ.
“UQ is committed to finding solutions to global issues related to diminishing natural resources, climate change and feeding a growing population.
“For example, UQ has research teams working on foods for health, international agricultural development, native food innovation, crop and tropical fruit innovation, bioenergy crop development and sustainable farming systems.”
The Academic Ranking of World Universities was first published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China in 2003. Since 2009 it has been compiled by an independent organisation, the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy and was released today by the Centre for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The ARWU uses a number of objective indicators to rank world universities. They include:
- the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals
- number of highly cited researchers selected by Thomson Scientific,
- number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science,
- number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index - Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index, and
- per capita performance with respect to the size of an institution.
More than 1200 universities are ranked by the Academic Ranking of World Universities every year and the best 500 are published on the web at http://www.shanghairanking.com/index.html
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