XJTLU climbs in science rankings

According to the latest Times Higher Education (THE) subject rankings for physical sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has joined the 401-500 band.

This is a jump from last year’s ranking in the 501-600 band, which was also the first time XJTLU was listed.

A total of 1,227 universities worldwide were considered in these rankings, and 82 universities from the Chinese mainland have been listed in the physical sciences subject rankings. Of universities in the Chinese mainland, XJTLU is among the top 35.

Dr Eric Amigues, Dean of the School of Science, says: “We are pleased that XJTLU’s impressive achievements in the physical sciences are being recognised globally. It is gratifying to see us leap up a band in this subject’s rankings in the span of just one year.”

Research influence

The subject rankings are based on the same performance indicators as THE’s World University Rankings, but calibrated for each different subject.

The subjects that are used in the physical sciences rankings are mathematics and statistics; physics and astronomy; chemistry; and geology, environmental, earth and marine sciences.

The metric given the largest weighting in this category is research influence, as measured by citations (35 percent), followed by the learning environment (27.5 percent), research volume, income and reputation (27.5 percent), international outlook (7.5 percent) and industry income (2.5 percent).

Last year, XJTLU’s overall score in this subject area was 31.7-35.6, which climbed to 36.6-40.6 this year. In the 2021 rankings, the University scored well in citations (64.3) and this improved even further this year, with a score of 76.3.

To be eligible for these rankings, a university has to publish a minimum of 500 relevant papers over the previous five years and have a minimum number of full-time staff engaged in the physical sciences discipline.

The full subject rankings for physical sciences can be found here, on THE’s website.

These results were released on 16 September and other subject rankings, including social sciences and engineering, are due to be released in the coming months.

By Patricia Pieterse