Swinburne climbs global academic rankings

Swinburne has continued to rise in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) for 2021.

This year, Swinburne achieved an estimated rank of 258, up 11 places from 269 in 2020 and 109 places from 367 in 2019.

The announcement follows Swinburne increasing its rankings across 14 subject areas in the latest ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects and climbing 50 positions in the latest QS World University Rankings 2022.

“This strong result speaks to the strength of Swinburne’s research and the esteem of our researchers,” says Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), Professor Bronwyn Fox.

The rankings increase was driven by improvements in publication output, increases in the number of highly-cited researchers at Swinburne, and recent publications in high-profile journals Nature and Science, such as on the breakthrough development of the world’s fastest and most powerful optical neuromorphic processor for artificial intelligence.

“Our talented researchers continue to position Swinburne as the prototype of a new and different university – one that is truly of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Professor Fox, who was recently awarded the prestigious 2020 Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research by the Royal Society of Victoria.

Driving impactful research

Swinburne continues to pursue high-quality research that brings people and technology together to build a better world.

“As Swinburne continues to step up on the  global stage in research, our continued rankings success validates our innovative approach to industry integration and tech-based solutions,” says Professor Fox.

Recent achievements in our flagship areas of Space and Aerospace Technology, Innovative Planet and Medical Technology include:

• The creation of the Space Technology and Industry Institute, led by Professor Alan Duffy, bringing together world-class capabilities in astrophysics, aerospace, aviation, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and education to tackle challenges at the edge of human understanding and imagination.
• Partnering with CSIRO and Germany’s ARENA 2036 to build the Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2) to test, trial and demonstrate new and emerging hydrogen technologies, support sustainable manufacturing practices, and support the ability to store clean energy from renewable sources.
• Partnering with industry to develop cost-effective, personalised medical technologies like an infrared laser that can identify those at highest risk of heart attack or biosensors that can detect cancer from a single drop of blood.

In what is believed to be the first such appointment in an Australian university, Swinburne also recently appointed Professor Virginia Kilborn as the inaugural Swinburne Chief Scientist.

Academic Ranking of World Universities

The Academic Ranking of World Universities is considered one of the most prestigious and authoritative global university rankings. It ranks universities on several indicators of academic or research performance, including quality of education, highly-cited researchers, research output and per capita performance.