THE University of Aberdeen has been named within the top 10 universities in the UK and top 50 in the world in the new Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Aberdeen has risen eight places to rank 10th in the UK and 22 places to 48th globally out of nearly 2,000 institutions included in the rankings which aim to capture universities’ impact on society based on their success in delivering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The success represents the University’s strongest performance in the rankings since they were introduced.
The University submitted data for all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The rankings use data from four of the goals to formulate each institution’s overall ranking (one of which must be SDG 17 – Partnership for the Goals).
Aberdeen’s rank was based on the following goals:
- SDG 17 – Partnership for the Goals (ranked 75th globally)
- SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities (17th globally)
- SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production (56th globally)
- SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (67th globally)
Professor Karl Leydecker, Senior Vice-Principal at the University of Aberdeen welcomed the new rankings.
“The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide a comprehensive and globally recognised framework for addressing critical social, economic, and environmental challenges.
“By aligning with the SDGs, the University of Aberdeen is demonstrating its commitment to sustainable development, enhancing our social responsibility, and contributing to global efforts to improve well-being, reduce inequality, and protect the environment – values that are reflected in our Aberdeen 2040 themes of Inclusive, Interdisciplinary, International and Sustainable.
“Our fantastic performance in this year’s Times Higher Education Impact Rankings speaks to our achievements in these areas and is testimony to the hard work of everyone at the University who has contributed to this success.
“Whether it’s highlighting the inequalities experienced by workers in the Bangladesh garment industry; hosting important climate assemblies for our local communities or using cutting edge genetics techniques to identify populations at greater risk of breast cancer – to name just a few projects – it’s clear research at the University of Aberdeen is tackling the major issues facing global society today.”