2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to Three Optogenetics Pioneers
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth(The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University), Peter Hegemann(Humboldt University of Berlin) and Georg Nagel(University of Würzburg) for their groundbreaking discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Committee announced Monday. The three scientists were recognized for discoveries that have helped advance researchers’ ability to control and study the activity of cells using light, opening new avenues for research in neuroscience and other fields of biomedicine. The Nobel Foundation also announced in September that the monetary award for each of the 2026 Nobel Prizes would be increased to SEK 12 million (approximately RMB 8.01 million), up from SEK 11 million (approximately RMB 7.34 million) in previous years. The SEK 1 million increase represents a rise of about 9 percent. The prize is the first of the 2026 Nobel awards to be announced, with the remaining prizes to be unveiled in the coming days.
Oxford Tops THE World University Rankings for 11th Year
The University of Oxford has retained the top position in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, extending its run at number one to 11 consecutive years, as the latest edition of the global rankings expands to a record 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories. The 2027 rankings, released today, include 106 more institutions than the previous edition, representing a 4% increase in the number of universities ranked. The number of countries and territories represented has also risen, from 115 last year to 118. Oxford remains at the top, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in second place. Princeton University and Stanford University share third place, with Stanford rising two places from last year. The University of Cambridge ranks fifth. The remainder of the global top 10 comprises Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, the University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University. Among the world's top 100 universities, Harbin Institute of Technology in mainland China recorded the largest improvement, rising 35 places from 131st last year to 96th this year. South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University climbed 19 places, while Michigan State University, Ohio State University and University of California, San Diego rose by 12, 11 and 10 places, respectively. US remains largest contributor of ranked universitiesThe US continues to have more universities represented in the rankings than any other country, with 168 institutions. India remained in second place for the number of ranked universities, with 143 institutions. Türkiye moved into third place with 124, overtaking the countries that shared fourth place in last year's edition. Japan ranked fourth, with 112 universities, while the UK fell to fifth with 110. The University of Tokyo remains Japan's highest-ranked institution. It placed 27th globally, down one place from 26th last year, and fourth in Asia. China strengthens presence in global top 100More than 100 universities from mainland China feature in the 2027 rankings, with eight making the global top 100, compared with seven last year. Harbin Institute of Technology's entry into the top 100 marks a new milestone for the Chinese university sector in this year's rankings. Hong Kong also maintains a strong presence among the world's leading universities. Five of the territory's eight ranked institutions are in the global top 100, led by the University of Hong Kong at 33rd globally. South Korean universities make gainsSouth Korea has four universities in the global top 100 and 10 in the top 300. Seoul National University remains the country's highest-ranked institution, moving up two places to 56th globally. All four South Korean universities in the global top 100 improved their positions this year. Sungkyunkwan University posted the largest increase, rising from 87th to 68th. Singapore expands its ranked presenceSingapore's two leading universities both climbed in the 2027 rankings. The National University of Singapore rose to 15th globally, from 17th last year, while Nanyang Technological University moved up to 28th, from a tie for 31st. Singapore also recorded its first appearance of three universities in the rankings. The Singapore University of Technology and Design made its debut in the 301–325 band. The 2027 edition also includes first-time appearances from Albania and Malawi. Ethiopia returned to the rankings after being absent from the 2026 edition. The country had previously been represented in the 2025 rankings. With 2,297 institutions now included, the 2027 THE World University Rankings represent the largest edition of the table to date, reflecting the continued expansion of global participation in international university rankings.
Nvidia and AMD CEOs join Tsinghua business school advisory board
Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management has appointed three new members and five new succeeding members to its Advisory Board, including Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su, and Marc Pictet, senior managing partner of Pictet Group. The appointments were announced by the school on 29 September. The three new members are all senior executives from globally recognised multinational companies spanning technology and financial services. Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 and has served as its president and chief executive since the company’s establishment. He is also a member of Nvidia’s board. Nvidia is a major provider of accelerated computing technologies and developed the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999, helping transform computer graphics and the gaming industry. The company has since expanded its focus to accelerated computing and generative AI, with its technologies increasingly used across industries. Huang is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering. In 2026, he was appointed to the US President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He has also received the Robert N. Noyce Award and the IEEE Founders Medal. Su has served as chair and CEO of AMD, where she has overseen the company’s transformation into a major provider of high-performance and adaptive computing technologies. Before joining AMD in 2012, she was senior vice-president and general manager of networking and multimedia at Freescale Semiconductor and spent 13 years at IBM in a range of engineering and business leadership positions. Su is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US National Academy of Engineering. She has received the Robert N. Noyce Award and currently serves on the US President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and as chair of the Semiconductor Industry Association’s board. Pictet is senior managing partner of Pictet Group, a Swiss wealth and asset management firm founded in 1805. The group is owned and managed by seven partners and operates across wealth management, asset management, alternative investments and related services. As the ninth generation of his family to join the firm’s partnership, Pictet is involved in the group’s overall management and strategic initiatives. He also serves on the board of the Swiss Bankers Association, is vice-chair of the Swiss Private Bankers Association committee, and chairs the Fondation de Genève. He is also a board member of the Swiss think tank Avenir Suisse. The five new succeeding members are Milan Nedeljković, chair of the board of management of BMW Group; John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart; Henrique Braun, CEO of Coca-Cola; Martín Escobari, co-president and head of global growth equity at General Atlantic; and Meg O’Neill, CEO of bp. Tsinghua SEM’s Advisory Board was established in October 2000, with the initiative supported by then-school dean and former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji. The board brings together senior executives from multinational companies as well as leaders from leading business schools and Nobel laureates in economics. It aims to strengthen the school’s links with external stakeholders and support improvements in research and teaching as the school seeks to develop into a world-leading institution in economics and management. The current chair of the Advisory Board is Tim Cook, executive chairman of Apple’s board.
Royal Academy of Engineering elects 75 new Fellows, including record 24 women
The Royal Academy of Engineering has elected 75 leading figures in engineering and technology to its Fellowship, including a record 24 women, as the UK institution marks its 50th anniversary. The new Fellows were elected at the Academy’s Annual General Meeting on 23 September. The 2026 cohort includes 10 International Fellows and five Honorary Fellows. The new Fellows work across areas including clean energy, artificial intelligence, medicine and public health, as well as academia, industry and public policy. The Academy said they have contributed to widening participation in engineering, particularly among groups underrepresented in the profession, and have provided technical expertise to policymakers. “This year’s cohort will be joining a community of over 1,700 top engineers and innovators in the UK and around the world,” said Sir John Lazar, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering. “Together, we ensure that bright ideas are supported, scaled and shared, turning ambition into innovation and innovation into impact. We aim to strengthen education, skills and inclusion to inspire and equip the engineers of today and tomorrow.” The University of Manchester, University College London (UCL), and Imperial College London lead the list, with four newly elected Fellows each. They are followed by the University of Cambridge and the University of Sheffield, with three Fellows each. The complete list of Fellows elected in 2026 (in alphabetical order) is as follows: Fellows (FREng): Professor Lourdes Agapito, Professor of 3D Vision, University College London; Co-Founder, Synthesia Dr Rachael Ambury, Vice President of Research, De Beers Group Mark Apsey MBE, Chief Executive Officer, CivicNetZero Kirsty Armer, Non-Executive Director, AWE plc; Lay Member of Council, Lancaster University; Visiting Professor, Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of Manchester; Trustee and Director, The Nuclear InstituteWill Arnold, Head of Sustainable Materials, Useful Simple Trust Professor David Barber, Director, UKRI Science of Fundamental AI Research Lab, University College London Dr Arnab Basu MBE DL, Chief Executive Officer, Kromek Group plc Dr Chan Boodhai, Former Chief Industry Officer, Sustainable Markets Initiative; former Senior Business Advisor to the Chair and CEO, bp Professor Martin Booth, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Oxford Dr Loubna Bouarfa, Founder, FactTrace.ai; Affiliated Lecturer, University of Cambridge; Member of the Board of Advisors, Oxford Internet Institute Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Leicester David Coles, Chief Engineer, Department for Transport, UK government Fiona Cousins, Chief Operating Officer, Total Design, Arup Professor Richard Craster, Dean of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London Dr Gio Cristofoli, Regional President, Caspian Central Asia and Türkiye, bp Professor Peter Cummings, Bicentennial Professor, Heriot-Watt University Professor Richard Curry, Associate Vice-President Research and Innovation and Professor of Advanced Electronic Materials, University of Manchester Professor Dina D’Ayala, UNESCO Chair in Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Engineering, University College London Professor Dino Distefano, Research Engineer, Anthropic; Professor of Software Verification, Queen Mary University of LondonProfessor Alastair Donaldson, Professor of Programming Languages, Department of Computing, Imperial College London Tim Dugher, Trustee, Science Museum Group; Director, Porterbrook Leasing Ltd Stuart Ellis, Director of Technical and Safety Assurance, Head of the Engineering Fellowship, Rolls-Royce plc Professor Barbara Evans, Professor of Public Health Engineering, University of Leeds Professor Paul Stephen Fennell, Professor of Clean Energy, Imperial College London Professor Danielle George CBE, Chief Scientific Adviser National Security, GCHQ; Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering, University of Manchester Professor Beverley Gibbs, Vice-President and President-Elect, Engineering Professors’ CouncilProfessor Robert Henderson FRSE, Professor of Electronic Imaging, University of Edinburgh Nigel Hirst, Chair, Haden Freeman Ltd Professor Cathy Holt FLSW, Professor of Biomechanics and Orthopaedic Engineering, Director of Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Facility and Arthritis UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre, School of Engineering, Cardiff University Keith Hutchinson, Head of Professional Technical and Engineering Services, and Senior Consultant Whole Ship Design and Naval Architecture, Safinah Lila Ibrahim, Chief AI Readiness Officer, Google DeepMind Dr Nick Johnson, Owner, GoodSportsSoftware; Founder and Chief Technology Officer, ip.access Ltd Gareth Jones, Group Engineering Director, BAE Systems Professor Clemens Kaminski, Professor of Chemical Physics and Head of Department, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge Julian Leslie, Director of Strategic Energy Planning and Chief Engineer, National Energy System Operator Neil Mantle, Director of Engineering, Technology, Safety and Quality, Rolls-Royce plc Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer OBE FRSE, Buchan Chair in Sustainable Energy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University Professor James Marshall, Director, Centre for Machine Intelligence, University of Sheffield; Founder Science Officer, Opteran Technologies Ltd Vice Admiral Paul Marshall CB CBE, Director General, Portfolio and Plans, National Armaments, Ministry of Defence Professor Rob Maunder, Founder and Chief Technical Officer, AccelerComm; Professor, University of Southampton Mark Francis McAllister, Chair, Ofgem Professor Duncan McFarlane, Professor of Industrial Information Engineering, University of Cambridge Professor Tom Melham FRSE, Professor of Computer Science, University of Oxford Alison Norrish, Design Director and Fellow, ArupProfessor Alan Partridge, Director of the Defence Materials Centre of Excellence, Sir Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester Professor Ian Reaney, Professor and Dyson Chair in Ceramics, University of Sheffield Professor Jhuma Sadhukhan, Co-Director of Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts, University of Surrey Dr Nina Maria Skorupska CBE, Non-Executive Director, GB Energy and Royal BAM Group Professor Raul Vázquez Diaz, Senior Fellow in Fluid Mechanics, Rolls-Royce plc Dr Dan Walker, President, Ocean Infinity Professor Jun Wang, Professor, Department of Computer Science, University College London Professor Meihong Wang, Professor of Process and Energy Systems Engineering, University of SheffieldDr Pengzhu Wang, Senior Consultant, Tension Technology International; Visiting Professor, China University of Mining and Technology Professor Paul Wilcox, Professor of Dynamics, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol Professor Jianping Wu, Professor, Tsinghua University Professor Jianzhong Wu FLSW, Professor of Multi Vector Energy Systems and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), University of Bath Professor Anatoly Zayats, Professor of Experimental Physics, King’s College London Professor Lidija Zdravkovic, Professor of Computational Geomechanics, Imperial College London Professor Michalis Zervas, Professor in Photonics, Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton Professor Jie Zhang, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Ranplan Wireless Network Design LtdInternational Fellows: Professor Anjan Bose, Regents Professor, Washington State University, US Professor Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Distinguished Professor and Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering, University of California, Irvine, US Professor Ignacio Grossmann, R.R. Dean University Professor of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, US Dr Selda Gunsel, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice-President for Technology, Shell plc, US Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, University of Queensland, Australia; Emeritus Professor, University of Cape Town, South Africa Dr Frank Haselbach, Senior Vice-President, Head of Propulsion Engineering, Airbus, France Professor Dorothy Okello, Dean, School of Engineering, Makerere University, Uganda Professor Ramesh Ramamoorthy, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, US Professor John Rogers FRS, Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor, Northwestern University, US Professor Moshe Yaakov Vardi FRS, University Professor and George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering, Rice University, USHonorary Fellows: Katherine Bennett CBE, Chief Executive Officer, High Value Manufacturing Catapult Saul Klein OBE, Co-Founder and Chair, Phoenix Court Professor Desta Mebratu HonFRS, Research Fellow, Centre for Sustainability Transition, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Professor Sile O’Modhrain, Professor in Performing Arts Technology, University of Michigan, US Dame Hayaatun Sillem DBE, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Argentic AssociatesAbout the Royal Academy of EngineeringFounded in 1976 and based in London, the Royal Academy of Engineering is the UK’s national academy for engineering. It brings together leading engineers and technology experts to advance engineering, promote innovation and inform policy. The Academy focuses on strengthening engineering capability, supporting engineering talent and promoting innovation across the sector. Its Fellowship includes experts working across fields ranging from artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to satellite navigation and healthcare. The Academy marks its 50th anniversary in 2026.
University of Oregon receives record $1 billion gift for new engineering college
Phil and Penny Knight have pledged $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish a new College of Engineering, in what the university says is the largest gift ever made to a comprehensive public university. The proposed college will be based at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact and will train engineers and applied scientists in bioengineering and other high-demand fields. The university said the investment will expand engineering education, help attract faculty and researchers, and strengthen its ability to translate scientific discoveries into products, therapies, technologies and new companies. “This is a scale that is genuinely hard to take in,” University of Oregon president Karl Scholz said, noting the Knights’ long-standing support for the university. The latest commitment follows two previous $500 million gifts from the Knights, in 2016 and 2021, which established and expanded the Knight Campus. Those investments subsequently attracted additional support from state and industry partners, foundations and other donors. Since its creation, the Knight Campus has established the university’s first engineering department and graduated the first engineers in the university’s history. It now has 17 research laboratories involving more than 500 students and trainees each year. The campus has also reported strong outcomes for its graduate programmes. Around 40% of its graduate students have won National Science Foundation fellowships, compared with a national average of about 15%, while its master’s internship programme has recorded graduation and placement rates above 90%. The campus has also developed an entrepreneurship ecosystem through incubator laboratories, corporate partnerships and access to capital. It has supported more than a dozen student- and faculty-led startups, including Penderia Technologies, VivoTex and restor3D. The proposed College of Engineering will build on this infrastructure while adopting an interdisciplinary model. Bioengineering will combine engineering with basic sciences, data science and medicine, while students will receive training in communication, entrepreneurship and ethics alongside technical subjects. Innovation will also be incorporated into faculty tenure and promotion criteria, according to the university. Bob Guldberg, vice-president and executive director of the Knight Campus, said the proposed college would extend the campus’s original focus on translating university research into real-world applications. The investment comes amid growing demand for engineering talent across sectors including biotechnology, semiconductors, life sciences, advanced materials, manufacturing, sports performance and artificial intelligence. A 2026 report from the US National Science Foundation and Bureau of Labor Statistics said employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics occupations is projected to grow at three times the rate of other occupations, with science and engineering among the fastest-growing fields. Oregon expects about 2,500 engineering job openings each year, according to the university, while employers report that engineering positions are among the hardest roles to fill. The state is also a major semiconductor hub, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the US semiconductor workforce. However, Oregon trains fewer workers for the sector relative to the size of its semiconductor industry than other major semiconductor states, the university said. The University of Oregon estimates that it contributes $3.7 billion annually to the state economy. The Knight Campus accounted for more than $160 million of that impact in fiscal year 2024, before the opening of its second building. The university will establish the new college and its degree programmes through the appropriate state and shared-governance processes. The proposal forms part of the university’s Oregon Rising strategic plan, which aims to strengthen distinctive research areas, prepare students for high-demand careers and increase the impact of research on the state. The Knights’ latest gift continues a relationship with the University of Oregon spanning more than five decades. Phil Knight, who graduated from the university before co-founding Nike, and Penny Knight have supported a range of university initiatives, including the Knight Law Center, Knight Library, endowed professorships and the Knight Campus.
WorldHE NS Watch: MIT Leads a Strong Week for Global University NS Output
Against the backdrop of intensifying global competition in scientific research, publication output in Nature and Science has become one of the key benchmarks for assessing universities’ capacity for original innovation and their international academic influence. WorldHE continuously tracks the latest and rolling 12-month Nature and Science publication data from universities worldwide, providing a dynamic view of the shifting global higher education and research landscape. Click here to access the complete university NS publication data. Global University NS Publications: September 14–20, 2026Global university output in Nature and Science remained steady last week, with a total of 37 universities publishing NS papers. The United States accounted for 13 of these universities, followed by China Mainland with 8. Both remained well ahead of other countries and regions, while the United Kingdom contributed 4 universities, underscoring the continued strength of these major research powers. Top research universities delivered particularly strong NS output last week. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which recently overtook Princeton University to claim the No. 1 spot in the 2027 U.S. News Best National Universities rankings after Princeton had held the position for 15 consecutive years, published three Nature papers and one Science paper. MIT was listed as both the first-author and corresponding-author institution on all three Nature papers. The research covered frontier biomedical fields including 2D/3D medical image registration, genome engineering, and pathogen genomic epidemiology, highlighting MIT’s strong research activity in these areas. Four U.S. universities — Harvard University, University of Washington Seattle, University of California, San Francisco, and Stanford University — each published three NS papers. Five universities — Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jilin University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, and Zhejiang University — each published two NS papers. Two of these institutions are from China Mainland. Global University NS Rankings: September 20, 2025–September 20, 2026Over the rolling 12-month period, 64 universities worldwide have published at least 10 papers in Nature or Science, underscoring the increasingly intense competition for high-impact research. The composition of the global Top 10 shifted noticeably this period, with five universities from the United States, three from China Mainland, and two from the United Kingdom. Harvard University continues to lead the global rankings by a wide margin, with 140 NS papers, including 92 in Nature and 48 in Science. Harvard ranks first among all universities in publication output in both journals. MIT also remains above the 100-paper mark, with 108 papers, ranking second globally. Stanford University follows with 91 papers. Together, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford form a firmly established elite research cluster at the 100-paper level and above. The University of California, Berkeley ranks fourth with 66 NS papers. While its overall output trails the top three, Berkeley is the only university in the global Top 10 to publish more Science papers (35) than Nature papers (31). The University of Cambridge overtakes the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences by one paper to rank fifth globally, making Cambridge the highest-ranked non-U.S. university. The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences ranks sixth with 54 papers. Peking University remains in seventh place with 47 papers. The University of California, San Francisco moves ahead of Tsinghua University with 41 papers, taking eighth place, while Tsinghua ranks ninth with 40. The University of Oxford returns to the global Top 10 with 36 papers, edging out UCLA to claim the final spot. Click here to access the complete university NS publication data. MethodologyFor Nature, only publications classified as Article and Review Article were included. For Science, the analysis includes Research Article, Special-Issue Research Article, and Review. Only the physically affiliated first author was counted as the first author. All corresponding-author affiliations were included, with each affiliated institution counted once. If the first-author institution and the corresponding-author institution were the same, the publication was counted only once for that institution. Only formally published articles were included in the analysis. Advance online publications and papers in pre-publication status were excluded.
MIT overtakes Princeton to top 2027 U.S. News National Universities rankings
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has overtaken Princeton University to claim the top spot in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best National Universities rankings, marking a notable change at the top of the annual league table. Princeton, which has held the No. 1 position in recent years, ranks second this year, while Harvard University is ranked third and Yale University fourth. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Stanford University are tied for fifth. Caltech recorded one of the largest gains among the leading institutions, rising six places from last year. The University of Pennsylvania ranks seventh, followed by Duke University in eighth. Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago are tied for ninth. Columbia University and Dartmouth College share 12th place, while Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Cornell University are tied at 14th. CMU also climbed six places compared with last year. Brown University, Rice University, Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis are tied for 16th, while the University of California, Berkeley, UCLA and the University of Notre Dame share 20th place. The latest rankings show substantial movement beyond the top 20. Wake Forest University recorded the largest rise among the institutions highlighted by U.S. News, climbing 17 places. Villanova University moved up 15 places, while Boston University rose eight places. Meanwhile, the University of Maryland and the University of Washington each fell seven places, while the University of Georgia dropped six places. Earnings by major added as a new ranking measureThe National Universities category covers institutions offering a broad range of undergraduate programmes as well as master’s and doctoral degrees. Many of the universities included place a strong emphasis on research and attract students from across the US and internationally. This year’s rankings also introduce a new Earnings by Major factor, alongside changes to category eligibility and the addition of new specialty and value rankings. The new measure uses data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard to assess the earnings of employed students four years after graduation. It focuses on students who received federal financial aid and whose highest qualification is a bachelor’s degree. According to U.S. News, the measure is intended to provide a more direct assessment of post-graduation economic outcomes while reducing the influence of pre-existing financial resources and family networks. The new factor replaces the Graduate Indebtedness measure, which U.S. News said relied on federal data that had not been updated for several years and whose future availability was uncertain. The change reflects growing interest among prospective students and families in the economic value of higher education, with earnings after graduation becoming an increasingly prominent consideration in discussions about college affordability and return on investment.
UCLA raises $746 million in philanthropy to support students, research and healthcare
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) received $746 million in philanthropic donations during the 2025–26 academic year, with funding supporting student scholarships, research, industry partnerships and healthcare initiatives across the university. The university received 67,096 gifts during the fiscal year, with contributions coming from all 50 US states and 65 countries. While UCLA secured 19 individual gifts of $5 million or more, 93% of donations were below $10,000, highlighting the breadth of its donor base. The fundraising figures were released during Chancellor Julio Frenk’s first full academic year at UCLA, as the university develops his “One UCLA” vision, which places emphasis on collaboration across education, research and public service. “This reflects confidence in our mission, trust in our institution and a shared commitment to the future we are building,” Frenk said. Student support and scholarshipsStudent financial support remained a major focus of philanthropic giving. Donors established 122 new scholarships and fellowships during the year, including a $4.2 million bequest from the estate of Gertrude Pomish, a former public school teacher. The gift will expand the existing Gertrude T. Pomish Scholarship Fund, increasing both the number of recipients and the value of individual awards. UCLA also reported that its annual Bruin Giving Day campaign in April attracted more than 3,400 donors and raised more than $2.6 million. Research and industry partnershipsResearch and faculty support accounted for 68% of UCLA’s fundraising during the fiscal year, with donations supporting programmes and research across the university. One of the largest research-related initiatives was a $125 million Semiconductor Hub launched by the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in partnership with major technology companies including Broadcom, Applied Materials, GlobalFoundries, Meta and Synopsys. The initiative contributed to a 65% increase in corporate giving compared with the previous year, according to UCLA. The university also received 13 gifts to establish new endowed faculty chairs. Among them was a $5 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin to support research and initiatives in fusion science and engineering, while a $2 million gift established the Nancy and Leslie Abell Family Chair in Employment and Labor Law at UCLA School of Law. The growing role of industry-supported research reflects a wider trend among research-intensive universities to develop partnerships with companies in strategically important fields, including semiconductors, advanced technologies and clean energy. Major investments in healthcareHealthcare and biomedical research were another major area of philanthropic support. Laurie and Steven C. Gordon and their family foundation committed $20 million to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to support renovations and expand critical and acute care capacity. The investment is expected to increase the number of beds for adults and children requiring such care by 23%. A further $31 million commitment from Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg and their research foundation will support the David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Research Park, with funding directed towards biomedical research, laboratory infrastructure and the development of future research leaders. Mental health also emerged as a significant area of investment. Stewart and Lynda Resnick donated $100 million to expand mental and behavioural health services at UCLA Health and support completion of the UCLA Resnick Mental Health Campus in Los Angeles. UCLA said the gift represents the largest single donation to mental healthcare in the history of UCLA Health. The university also received a $33 million award from Ballmer Group to expand its work in youth mental health across Los Angeles. The funding will support academic and clinical training, increase the pipeline of mental health professionals and expand access to services. The initiative brings together expertise from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA College, where the funding has supported the establishment of a Youth Behavioral Health Chair. “UCLA is grateful for the tremendous dedication and vision of our donors and volunteers,” said Rhea Turteltaub, UCLA’s vice chancellor for external affairs. “The mission-driven philanthropy in our community positions UCLA for an exciting and bold future.” The scale and diversity of UCLA’s fundraising during 2025–26 underscore the growing role of philanthropy in supporting major university priorities, from student access and faculty development to research infrastructure, industry collaboration and healthcare delivery.
China’s research rise puts talent and international collaboration at centre of next phase, NSFC chief says
China’s growing contribution to high-impact research reflects the country’s expanding pool of research talent and increasing investment in science, according to Dou Xiankang, president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Speaking at the sixth New Cornerstone 50² Forum, held by the New Cornerstone Science Foundation in Shenzhen on 19 September, Dou outlined the current state of Chinese science and the reforms planned by the country’s main funding agency for basic and applied fundamental research. China’s growing presence in top journalsDou said that while individual papers are not sufficient to measure the strength of a country’s research system, publication patterns in leading journals can provide a useful indicator when considered at scale. He cited data from the first half of 2026 showing that researchers in China accounted for around 20% of papers published in Cell, Nature and Science — collectively known as the CNS journals. When looking only at papers for which the final corresponding author was based in China, the proportion was approximately 20%, compared with around 47% for the United States, according to figures presented by Dou. However, he said the picture changes when the contribution of Chinese researchers working in international research teams is taken into account. Among CNS papers with a US-based final corresponding author, Chinese researchers accounted for 39% of first or co-first authors. When papers with final corresponding authors based in Germany, the UK and Japan were also included, the proportion of papers with a Chinese first or co-first author rose to about 45%. Using a broader measure of major contributors, Dou put the figure at approximately 56%. Taken together, he argued, the figures suggest that Chinese researchers are now closely connected to a substantial share of the world’s highest-profile scientific research. Talent at the centre of research breakthroughsFor Dou, the key question is what will determine China’s next phase of scientific development. “The source of breakthroughs in scientific research is talent,” he said, arguing that China’s future research performance will depend increasingly on its ability to stimulate the creativity and initiative of its most innovative researchers. He pointed to several developments underpinning China’s growing research capacity, including rapid economic growth, increased investment in science and research, more flexible research policies, the expansion of high-level academic staff at universities, and improvements in scientific infrastructure and instrumentation. China has also seen a substantial increase in the number of internationally trained researchers returning to the country. Dou said that, by last year, the number of Chinese students going overseas to study and those returning had reached a dynamic balance — a development he described as evidence of the country’s growing scientific and economic strength. Data presented by Dou also pointed to the growing scale of China’s active research community. The number of active researchers publishing in leading international journals surpassed that of the US in 2021, he said, and is now around seven times the level in Japan. Dou also highlighted the age profile of highly cited researchers. In China, researchers aged over 55 accounted for 44% of the group, those aged 40 to 55 for 47%, and those under 40 for 9%, a distribution he described as comparatively healthy among major research systems. The figures form part of a broader shift in China’s research system towards greater support for younger scientists. NSFC shifts funding towards early-career researchersDou outlined a series of reforms at the NSFC, which has become one of China’s principal funding bodies for basic research, applied fundamental research and frontier interdisciplinary research following reforms to the country’s national research system. Funding has increasingly shifted towards younger researchers. According to Dou, almost 90% of NSFC-funded projects this year are led by early-career researchers, while researchers under the age of 45 account for around 75% of total funding. The NSFC has also expanded its Young Scientists Fund (Category C), which is designed to provide early-career researchers with an initial opportunity to establish an independent research programme. An additional RMB36 billion has been allocated to the programme this year, supporting 12,046 more projects and representing an increase of more than 50%, Dou said. A further reform introduced this year creates a separate track within the Young Scientists Fund Category A for researchers under 35, or women under 38. The first cohort includes 44 researchers. Dou said the selected researchers would receive support under a “5+5+5” model, with funding designed to provide longer-term continuity. “We do not conduct any short-cycle target assessment. We assess only one thing: whether you are in the laboratory,” he said. The approach reflects an attempt to give promising young researchers greater time and flexibility to pursue high-risk or longer-term research, rather than subjecting them to frequent short-term performance assessments. Expanding international research collaborationDou also highlighted the NSFC’s efforts to expand its international funding and research partnerships. In addition to supporting collaboration between Chinese and overseas researchers, the foundation is seeking to attract international doctoral students to China. “We hope that students from technologically advanced Western countries, particularly those studying the natural sciences, will be able to come to China to complete their PhDs,” Dou said. The NSFC and China’s Ministry of Education are jointly working on the initiative, he added, expressing confidence that it would produce further results in the near future. The proposals reflect a broader effort to position China not only as a major source of scientific research and talent, but also as a destination for international researchers and doctoral students.
Good University Guide 2027: St Andrews Takes No. 1 as Imperial Climbs Three Places
LONDON, Sept. 18, 2026 — The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027 has been published, ranking 130 universities across a range of measures including student satisfaction, student experience, graduate employment prospects and continuation rates. The University of St Andrews has taken the top spot, rising one place from last year. The university performed particularly strongly on teaching quality, student experience and entry standards. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) fell from first place to second. Imperial College London recorded the biggest rise among the top five, climbing three places to third and moving ahead of both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. Imperial performed particularly strongly on research quality and graduate prospects. The University of Cambridge retained its fourth-place position, with a particularly strong continuation rate. The University of Oxford slipped one place to fifth, while recording strong results for the proportion of graduates achieving first-class or upper second-class degrees (Firsts/2:1s). These five institutions make up the top five of the Good University Guide 2027. The remaining universities in the top 10 are Durham University, the University of Warwick, the University of Bath, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Bristol. How the Good University Guide Ranks UniversitiesThe Times and The Sunday Times have published university guides since 1993 and 1998, respectively. Since 2013, the two publications have produced the combined Good University Guide, providing a comprehensive guide to higher education in Britain across print and digital platforms, including The Times, The Sunday Times and thetimes.com. The rankings are based on a range of measures covering student satisfaction with teaching quality and the wider student experience, entry standards, research quality, sustainability and graduate prospects. Since 2018, the guide has also included social inclusion rankings for universities in England and Wales, alongside a separate table for Scottish universities. These rankings assess measures designed to reflect the diversity of universities' student intakes and their subsequent outcomes. The 2027 edition provides a snapshot of how UK universities perform across student experience, academic standards, research and graduate outcomes, while highlighting significant movement among the country's leading institutions.
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