Mapping the Global Universities Behind 30 Years of Nobel Prizes in Physics
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was announced on October 6, with Francis Halzen awarded the prize “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.” Behind every Nobel laureate lies a broader global map of universities — the institutions where groundbreaking research is conducted and where leading scientists are trained. As the Nobel Prize marks its 125th anniversary this year, WorldHE has analyzed the institutional affiliations and undergraduate, master’s and doctoral education of Nobel laureates over the past three decades, from 1997 to 2026. The analysis will be released alongside the announcements in each Nobel category, offering a window into global patterns of university research, innovation and the development of top scientific talent. Following our analysis of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, this article focuses on the Nobel Prize in Physics. US universities dominate Nobel affiliations in physicsOver the past 30 years, Nobel laureates in Physics have been affiliated with 45 universities at the time they received the prize. The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Princeton University lead the list, with five laureates each. Their strong showing reflects decades of investment in physics, established academic communities and research ecosystems that have supported sustained scientific excellence. They are followed by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Colorado Boulder, with four laureates each. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) each have three. The 2026 laureate Francis Halzen, who is based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is the university’s first Nobel laureate in Physics in the past three decades. US universities account for roughly half of all laureate affiliations in the dataset, demonstrating the country’s particularly strong concentration of Nobel-level physics research. Notably, all six universities at the top of the affiliation ranking are based in the US, underscoring the country’s position as a major global center for physics research. Outside the US, France and Japan also stand out. French universities account for eight laureates, with institutions including the École Normale Supérieure, Université Paris-Saclay, École Polytechnique and Collège de France represented in the dataset. Japanese universities account for seven laureates, including the University of Tokyo, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Kyoto Sangyo University and Meijo University. Physics laureates have a more diverse alumni landscapeThe university landscape looks considerably more diverse when the analysis shifts from where laureates worked to where they studied. Over the past 30 years, 72 universities and research institutions have educated Nobel laureates in Physics. The University of California, Berkeley and MIT rank joint first, with 10 laureate affiliations each. Berkeley appears prominently in both the institutional-affiliation and alumni rankings, highlighting its strength in both research output and talent development. At MIT, five of the 10 affiliations were at the undergraduate level and five at the doctoral level, reflecting the institution’s role in both early scientific training and advanced research education. The University of Tokyo and Harvard University follow with nine laureate affiliations each, while Cambridge University and Nagoya University have eight each. Japanese universities stand out particularly strongly in the development of top physics talent. Their institutions have not only contributed Nobel-winning research but have also played a long-standing role in training scientists who go on to pursue research careers around the world. Other countries also show strong performance in physics talent development. French universities account for 21 laureate affiliations, followed by Germany with 15 and Russia with 9. The 2026 laureate Francis Halzen studied at the KU Leuven in Belgium, where he earned a master’s degree in physics in 1966 and a PhD in 1969. Data notesInstitutional data have been standardized where appropriate. When universities have undergone clearly documented name changes or mergers, their current names are used. Where historical institutions have since been divided into multiple independent universities, the original institutional name has been retained. For alumni data, only completed degrees are counted, with undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees each counted as one affiliation. If a laureate held positions at multiple institutions when receiving the Nobel Prize, each institution is counted separately. The data were manually compiled and represent an incomplete rather than exhaustive dataset.
University of Wisconsin–Madison Physicist Francis Halzen Wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Francis Halzen for his decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday. Halzen, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was recognized for his pioneering work in neutrino physics and his leadership in developing IceCube, the world’s largest neutrino observatory. According to the Nobel Prize website, Halzen realized that the ice at the South Pole could be used to detect neutrinos, subatomic particles that can travel vast cosmic distances with little interaction with matter. His vision and scientific leadership were fundamental to the development of IceCube, a cubic-kilometer detector embedded in the Antarctic ice and equipped with light sensors. The observatory enables researchers to detect neutrinos generated by some of the most energetic processes in the distant universe, providing a new way to study cosmic phenomena beyond the reach of conventional astronomical observations. From Belgium to the South PoleBorn on March 23, 1944, in Tienen, Belgium, Halzen is a Belgian particle physicist and currently serves as the Hilldale and Gregory Breit Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also directs the university’s Institute for Fundamental Particle Physics Research and has served as the principal investigator of the IceCube project at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. IceCube began operating in 2010. Halzen grew up in Belgium and studied physics at the University of Leuven, earning his master’s degree in 1966 and his PhD in 1969. He received a higher teaching qualification in 1972. From 1969 to 1971, he worked as a research associate at CERN. He joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1972 and has remained there throughout his academic career. He has also played a leading role in the AMANDA and IceCube projects. A career spanning cosmic rays and particle astrophysicsSince the 1970s, Halzen has been a leading figure in the development of cosmic-ray physics and astroparticle physics. His research has extended beyond particle physics to include cosmic-ray anomalies and quark matter, the connections between particle physics and cosmic rays, particles originating from supernovae, and muon production in atmospheric gamma-ray showers. His work has helped establish neutrinos as a powerful tool for investigating some of the most energetic and distant phenomena in the universe, while bridging particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
Where Do Nobel Laureates Come From? Mapping the Global Universities Behind 30 Years of Medicine Prizes
The 2026 Nobel Prize season officially got underway on October 5, with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine announced as the first of this year’s awards. The 2026 prize has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their groundbreaking discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. Since the Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901, they have been guided by the principle of delivering “the greatest benefit to humankind.” As the Nobel Prize marks its 125th anniversary this year, the Nobel Foundation has also increased the prize money for each award to SEK 12 million, up SEK 1 million from the previous amount. But behind every Nobel Prize is also a global network of universities and research institutions. Where were these scientists working when they received the world’s most prestigious scientific honor, and where did they receive their education? To mark the Nobel Prize’s 125th anniversary, WorldHE has compiled data on the institutional affiliations and undergraduate, master’s and doctoral education of Nobel laureates over the past three decades, from 1997 to 2026. The analysis will be updated as each Nobel category is announced, offering a window into global patterns of university research, innovation and the cultivation of top scientific talent. This article focuses on the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Rockefeller University leads in Nobel affiliationsOver the past 30 years, Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine have been affiliated with 41 universities at the time they received the prize. Rockefeller University ranks first, with five laureates among its faculty or researchers at the time of their awards. Although Rockefeller is not a comprehensive university in the traditional sense and is relatively small in size, it has maintained an exceptionally strong global reputation in biomedical research. Harvard University, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Stanford University follow, with three laureates each. The University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, the University of Cambridge, Kyoto University, UMass Chan Medical School, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and Johns Hopkins University each had two laureates. The three 2026 laureates come from Stanford University, Humboldt University of Berlin and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, respectively. For Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Würzburg, this year’s award marks the first Nobel laureate associated with each institution in the past three decades. At the country level, US universities have a clear advantage. They account for roughly 60% of all university affiliations among laureates in the dataset. The US lead is driven not only by the number of institutions represented, but also by a pronounced concentration of Nobel-level research at a relatively small group of leading universities. This concentration reflects several longstanding strengths of the US higher education and research system, including sustained investment in research, a high density of leading scientists and continued support for high-risk, fundamental research. Outside the US, the UK and Japan also stand out. UK universities account for six laureates in the dataset. Cambridge has two, while the University of Oxford, University College London, Cardiff University and the University of Nottingham each have one. Japan also has six laureates. Kyoto University accounts for two, while Kitasato University, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Osaka University and Tokyo Institute of Technology each account for one. In both countries, top research achievements remain concentrated in a relatively small number of established academic centers, while the overall distribution also reflects considerable institutional diversity. Harvard has educated the most Nobel laureatesIf institutional affiliations show where Nobel-winning research was being conducted, alumni data offer a different perspective: where did these scientists begin their academic and research journeys? Over the past 30 years, Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine have studied at 70 universities and research institutions. Harvard University ranks first, with 10 laureate affiliations. Six of these were doctoral alumni, highlighting Harvard’s longstanding role in advanced research training and scientific talent development. The University of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology follow with eight laureate affiliations each. The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oxford each have five. The University of Oslo, the University of California, Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology and McGill University each account for four. US universities again occupy a leading position in the education of Nobel laureates, with approximately half of the laureates in the dataset having studied at US institutions. The UK and Japan follow, broadly mirroring the geographic distribution of the institutions where laureates were working when they received the prize. The educational backgrounds of this year’s three laureates further illustrate the international nature of the academic pipeline. Karl Deisseroth earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his PhD from Stanford University. Peter Hegemann initially studied chemistry at the University of Münster and the University of Munich before earning his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. Georg Nagel studied biology and biophysics at the University of Konstanz and received his doctorate from Goethe University Frankfurt. Notably, universities including Harvard, Cambridge, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia appear prominently in both the institutional-affiliation and alumni rankings. Their presence in both datasets points to a distinctive institutional strength: these universities are not only capable of training scientists who go on to make major discoveries, but also of attracting leading researchers and providing an environment in which high-impact research can continue to emerge. Taken together, the data suggest that Nobel-level scientific achievement is shaped by more than individual talent. It also reflects the research ecosystems, talent pipelines and institutional capacity that universities build over decades. Data notesInstitutional affiliations have been standardized where appropriate. When universities have undergone a clearly documented name change or merger, their current names are used. Where a historical institution has since split into multiple independent universities, the original institutional name has been retained. For alumni data, only completed degrees are counted, with undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees each counted as one affiliation. If a laureate held appointments at multiple institutions at the time of receiving the Nobel Prize, each institution is counted separately. The dataset was manually compiled and represents an incomplete rather than exhaustive record.
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.
Harvard Leads the Citation Laureates Rankings as Nobel Prize Season Approaches
On September 17, Clarivate announced the 2026 Citation Laureates, recognizing 22 scientists whose research has made a significant impact on their fields. The laureates are affiliated with leading academic institutions across seven countries and regions. Sixteen are based in the United States, while Canada, Denmark, Israel, Japan, China and Switzerland each have one laureate. The research recognized this year spans a range of issues closely tied to some of the most pressing challenges facing science, medicine and the global economy. In physiology or medicine, the recognized work includes GLP-1 biology and obesity treatment, optical imaging and research into the immune system. Physics laureates are recognized for advances in OLED display technology, energy-efficient computing materials and quantum electronics. Chemistry research includes self-assembling nanomaterials, bioelectronic electron transfer and precision gene editing. In economics, the recognized research covers the economics of information technology, monetary policy and central banking, and organizational innovation and economic dynamism. As Bar Veinstein, president of Clarivate’s Academic Research and Government business, noted, many of the achievements recognized by this year’s Citation Laureates—from GLP-1 drugs and precision gene editing to optical medical imaging—were once basic research questions being explored by scientists decades ago. Today, those lines of research are improving people’s lives, informing policymaking and helping shape the future of humanity. At its core, the Citation Laureates program asks a fundamental question: which research being conducted today could become a transformative scientific breakthrough tomorrow? That question also helps explain the long-standing connection between Citation Laureates and the Nobel Prizes. Looking to Highly Cited Research for the Next Scientific BreakthroughSince 2002, analysts at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) have used publication and citation data from the Web of Science Core Collection to identify scientists whose pioneering work has the potential to shape the future of science and society. The process draws on a vast global research database. Since 1970, the Web of Science Core Collection has indexed more than 67 million journal articles and conference proceedings. Fewer than 0.02 percent of those publications have received more than 2,000 citations. Citation Laureates are selected from this exceptionally influential group of researchers through a combination of citation analysis and expert judgment. The significance of this approach lies partly in the time it can take for scientific discoveries to translate into broad societal impact. A promising piece of basic research may require years or even decades of further scientific validation, engineering development, regulatory approval and market adoption before its wider significance becomes clear. Sometimes, time itself is what reveals the importance of a discovery. David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information, has pointed to precisely this challenge: it is extraordinarily difficult at the moment of discovery to know which findings will ultimately have transformative societal impact. Citation analysis therefore provides one important lens for identifying researchers whose work has achieved Nobel-level impact, even before that recognition arrives. The historical record offers some context. Since the Citation Laureates program was established, 487 scientists have been named Citation Laureates, 89 of whom subsequently received a Nobel Prize—around 18.3 percent. Thirteen Citation Laureates went on to receive a Nobel Prize in the same year they were named. On average, the interval between receiving the Citation Laureates distinction and subsequently receiving a Nobel Prize has been 5.27 years. This track record has led the award to be widely described as a “Nobel Prize indicator.” The 2024 Nobel Prizes offered a particularly striking example. Eight Nobel laureates that year had previously been named Citation Laureates. Three of them—John M. Jumper, Demis Hassabis and David Baker—received the Citation Laureates recognition and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the same year. Harvard Leads the Citation Laureates RankingsWith the Nobel Prizes once again approaching in October, WorldHE analyzed the institutional affiliations of Citation Laureates over the past decade, from 2017 to 2026, to examine where these highly cited researchers are based. During the 10-year period, 206 scientists were named Citation Laureates: 54 in Chemistry, 48 in Physics, 53 in Physiology or Medicine, and 51 in Economics. Universities account for the overwhelming majority of their institutional affiliations. A total of 180 laureates—87 percent of all Citation Laureates during the period—were affiliated with universities. The figure underscores the continuing role of universities as major engines of high-impact research, particularly in fields that depend on long-term scientific investment, sustained basic research and interdisciplinary collaboration. U.S. universities dominate the institutional landscape. Harvard University leads the 10-year tally with 17 laureates. Its Citation Laureates span all four fields, including eight in Economics, four in Physiology or Medicine, four in Chemistry and one in Physics. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology follows with 14 laureates, while Stanford University has 12, the California Institute of Technology has eight, and the University of California, Berkeley has seven. MIT, Stanford and Caltech each have laureates across all four fields. The distribution suggests that leading U.S. research universities are not simply strong in individual disciplines. They have also developed research ecosystems capable of producing highly influential work across chemistry, physics, biomedicine and economics. Outside the United States, the University of Oxford recorded six laureates, while the University of Cambridge recorded five. The University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania and UT Southwestern Medical Center also recorded five laureates each. The concentration at the top is notable. The five leading universities—Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Caltech and UC Berkeley—accounted for 58 laureate affiliations, roughly 30 percent of all university affiliations recorded during the period. But the picture is not one of complete concentration among a handful of institutions. A total of 85 universities appeared in the 10-year dataset. Alongside the leading U.S. institutions, the list includes universities such as the University of Copenhagen, the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, ETH Zurich, the Paris School of Economics, Tel Aviv University, Southern University of Science and Technology and Tsinghua University. Japanese universities stand out in particular. The University of Tokyo recorded four laureates during the decade, while Kyoto University and Osaka University recorded two each. Several other Japanese universities had one laureate apiece. European universities also maintain a strong presence, with researchers from institutions across the UK, France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands appearing in the data. Different Countries, Distinct Research StrengthsLooking beyond universities to national patterns reveals another dimension of the global research landscape. Of the 206 Citation Laureates recorded over the past decade, 133 were based in the United States, putting the country well ahead of other nations. Japan and the UK each recorded 16 laureates, followed by Germany with 10, France with seven and Switzerland with five. Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and South Korea each recorded three. The U.S. also leads across all four Citation Laureates fields. It recorded 32 laureates in Chemistry, 24 in Physics, 35 in Physiology or Medicine and 42 in Economics. The concentration is particularly pronounced in Economics, reflecting the long-established strength of U.S. universities and research institutions in economics, business, the social sciences and policy research. Other countries show more concentrated areas of strength. Japan recorded eight laureates in Physiology or Medicine, the UK had six in Chemistry, and Germany recorded five in Physics. These patterns are consistent with the long-standing research traditions and institutional strengths that those countries have developed in particular fields. Citation Laureates and the Nobel Prize: What Comes Next?The Nobel Prizes will be announced in October, bringing renewed attention to the researchers identified by Clarivate as among the world’s most highly cited and influential scientists. Whether the Citation Laureates program will once again overlap with that year’s Nobel winners remains to be seen. But as Clarivate notes, quoting sociologist Harriet Zuckerman: “Every year more scientists are eligible for the Nobel Prizes than can win them… There has always been an accumulation of uncrowned laureates.” Whether or not the scientists named as Citation Laureates ultimately receive a Nobel Prize, their research has already made a measurable mark on the scientific record—and, in many cases, is helping to reshape the world beyond academia. Data note: The data are based on the institutional affiliations listed on the official Citation Laureates website for laureates from 2017 to 2026. Some laureates were affiliated with multiple institutions, and each institution was counted separately. Universities that appeared under different names or campus affiliations were recorded separately where applicable, with appropriate adjustments made during the analysis.
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.
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