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A rising star in the north: see pages 18 and 19 of this recent Research Fortnight |
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008)
The University of Aberdeen is among the UK’s top research universities according to the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
Principal and Vice Chancellor C Duncan Rice said: “I am delighted with these results. Aberdeen produces a significant volume of outstanding research across all our disciplines. The RAE results - combined with our 34% growth in research income over the last five years - puts us among the best in the UK, and supports our ambition to enter the top 100 universities in the world.”
World Leading
- 89% of Aberdeen’s research activity is of international quality and 55% is world leading or internationally excellent. (4* and 3*)
- All of our 33 submissions have activity rated as world leading or internationally excellent
1st in the UK
- 1st for Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies
- 1st equal for Health Services Research
Outstanding Performance
Almost three quarters of our staff were submitted to units where at least half of the research activity was rated as world leading or internationally excellent
70%+
- Computer Science and Informatics (70%)
- Health Services Research (80%)
- Other Hospital Based Clinical Subjects (75%)
- Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies (80%)
50%+
- Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science (Plant and Soil Sciences) (55%)
- Anthropology (55%)
- Biological Sciences (55%)
- Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences (60%)
- Economics and Econometrics (65%)
- English Language and Literature (65%)
- Epidemiology and Public Health (60%)
- French (55%)
- General Engineering and Mineral & Mining Engineering (55%)
- Geography and Environmental Studies (50%)
- History (60%)
- History of Art, Architecture and Design (55%)
- Music (50%)
- Primary Care and Other Community Based Clinical Subjects (65%)
- Psychology (50%)
- Pure Mathematics (65%)
- Sociology (55%)
- Town and Country Planning (Property) (60%)
In total eleven of our research areas were ranked among the top 25% in the UK:
- Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Sciences is ranked 3rd equal
- Computing Science is ranked 18th equal
- English Language and Literature is ranked 11th equal
- French is ranked 5th equal
- Health Services Research is ranked 1st equal
- History is ranked 19th the UK
- Hospital based clinical subjects is ranked 4th equal
- Mathematics is ranked 8th
- Property is ranked 6th equal
- Sociology is ranked 6th equal
- Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies is ranked 1st
100% of Research Activity International
Five units of assessment had 100% of their research activity judged to be of international quality:
- Computing Science
- Divinity and Religious Studies
- Economics
- Health Services Research
- Mathematics
Professor C Duncan Rice added: “I am particularly proud of the University’s research performance because we are very small in relation to many of our competitors, and because we are committed to a wide a portfolio of subjects – with outstanding strengths from History and Divinity to Agriculture and Health Sciences.”
Note: All the rankings are based on the proportion of research activity judged to be world leading and internationally excellent
Click here for the full table of our results
For more information on individual subjects please visit our College websites (links below)
Further Information
| University Research Website | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/central/research.shtml | |
| Study at the University of Aberdeen | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/ | |
| College of Arts and Social Sciences | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/ | |
| College of Life Sciences and Medicine | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/clsm/ | |
| College of Physical Sciences | http://www.cps.abdn.ac.uk/ | |
| RAE 2008 | http://submissions.rae.ac.uk/results/ | |
| Research Fortnight | http://www.researchresearch.com/getPage.cfm?pagename=RAE2008-Power&lang=EN&type=default | |
| Times Higher Education results table | http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Journals/THE/THE/18_December_2008/attachments/RAE_2008_THE_RESULTS.pdf |
Press Cuttings
| University Press Release | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mediareleases/release.php?id=1637 | |
| Scottish Government News | http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/12/17114041 | |
| BBC News | http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7788718.stm |
