- The University of Iceland included in 12 subject rankings from ShanghaiRanking Consultancy
- The University is also performing very strongly in electrical and electronic engineering, earth sciences and nursing
The University of Iceland has been rated the eighth best university in the world for remote sensing, according to the subject rankings recently published by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. The University was included in 12 global subject rankings this year and continues to be the only Icelandic university to feature on any rankings by ShanghaiRanking.
The University of Iceland has featured in the ShanghaiRanking subject rankings for the past six years. The Consultancy also publishes an annual list of the best universities in the world, known as the Shanghai Ranking, which is one of the two most respected and influential university rankings in the world.
Around 5,000 universities assessed
Assessment and ranking is based on several indicators of academic strength, such as the number of papers published in renowned scientific journals; the number of times papers have been cited by other researchers; international research collaboration; and the number of staff who have received awards for their contributions to individual fields of study.
ShanghaiRanking Consultancy this year ranked the world's leading universities in 54 different subjects within the natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences. In total, around 5,000 universities from across the globe were assessed and 1,800 of these were included in at least one subject ranking.
Remote sensing used to monitor volcanic eruptions
According to this year's rankings, the University of Iceland is the eighth best in the world for remote sensing, and has been in the top 10 for this subject ever since the first rankings were published in 2017. Remote sensing involves, for example, taking digital images from planes and satellites and using these to extract data regarding the Earth's surface. Remote sensing is used, for example, to monitor the progress of volcanic eruptions such as the one that started on the Reykjanes peninsula last week.
In the top 500 for 12 subjects
The University of Iceland was also ranked 51-75 for electrical and electronic engineering and 101-150 for both earth sciences and nursing. The University is in the top 200 for biological sciences, 201-300 for geography, public health and political sciences, in the top 400 for ecology and human biological sciences and the top 500 for clinical medicine and psychology.
The subject rankings and information about the assessment methodology are available on the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy website.