Science Explorer Interactive view Map
University · Birmingham · United Kingdom

Aston University

In research, Aston University stands highest in Health Sciences (#713 of 11,982 worldwide), Social Sciences (#703 of 10,521 worldwide) and Physical Sciences (#955 of 12,888 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Ophthalmology and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering — Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics is 3.5× its share of world research.

aston.ac.ukROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#1,025
of 28,054 · #990 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#43
of 1,094
Research works
19k
▲ 10% vs 2013–17
Citations
502k
26.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
24.9%
record average 16.5%
Open access
35%
world 28%

What is Aston University known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Health SciencesDomain #713 of 11,982 22.6%471 #1037
Social SciencesDomain #703 of 10,521 32.3%821 #483
Physical SciencesDomain #955 of 12,888 20.9%995 #1032
MedicineField #905 of 10,443 22.0%393 #1166
EngineeringField #607 of 6,636 19.6%523 #762
Business, Management and AccountingField #295 of 2,578 44.7%175 #182
Social SciencesField #1,011 of 6,365 29.2%335 #541
Health ProfessionsField #319 of 1,928 26.2%66 #476
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #705 of 2,578 28.1%127 #512
Computer ScienceField #1,368 of 4,667 26.2%192 #1054

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Aston University sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Health Sciences#1,037 #713
  2. Social Sciences#483 #703
  3. Physical Sciences#1,032 #955
  4. Medicine#1,166 #905
  5. Engineering#762 #607
  6. Business, Management and Accounting#182 #295
  7. Social Sciences#541 #1,011
  8. Health Professions#476 #319
  9. Sociology and Political Science#512 #705
  10. Computer Science#1,054 #1,368
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does Aston University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics takes 3.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield · 62.5 works3.5×
  2. OphthalmologySubfield · 22.3 works3.4×
  3. Industrial and Manufacturing EngineeringSubfield · 37.8 works3.0×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.21× its world share, 25 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.62× its world share, 82 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.32× its world share, 8 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.57× its world share, 63 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.98× its world share, 8 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.88× its world share, 16 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.58× its world share, 23 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.00× its world share, 192 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.18× its world share, 7 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.22× its world share, 28 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.41× its world share, 523 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.50× its world share, 61 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.58× its world share, 50 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.38× its world share, 11 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.52× its world share, 84 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.13× its world share, 2 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.01× its world share, 66 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.83× its world share, 393 worksMedicineNursing: 0.75× its world share, 9 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.35× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.03× its world share, 73 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 2.20× its world share, 175 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.82× its world share, 44 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.42× its world share, 75 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.57× its world share, 119 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.07× its world share, 335 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Business, Management and Accounting, 2.2×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Aston University?

Ranked on the composite score, John S. Edwards, A.V. Bridgwater and Michael West lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Aston University.

  1. 1 John S. Edwards United Kingdom · #4,082 worldwide 805 citations · 84 works
  2. 2 A.V. Bridgwater United Kingdom · #5,113 worldwide 2.2k citations · 61 works
  3. 3 Michael West United Kingdom · #14,372 worldwide 1.3k citations · 210 works
  4. 4 William Ho United Kingdom · #15,266 worldwide 1.4k citations · 43 works
  5. 5 Prasanta Kumar Dey United Kingdom · #15,833 worldwide 892 citations · 65 works
  6. 6 James H. Love United Kingdom · #20,723 worldwide 546 citations · 51 works
  7. 7 James S. Wolffsohn United Kingdom · #22,867 worldwide 549 citations · 83 works
  8. 8 Nick Lee United Kingdom · #33,461 worldwide 370 citations · 62 works
  9. 9 Pawan Budhwar United Kingdom · #38,258 worldwide 373 citations · 74 works
  10. 10 Michael J. Tisdale United Kingdom · #58,305 worldwide 363 citations · 40 works
All ranked researchers at Aston University

Which keywords describe research at Aston University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Optical Fiber, Microwave Photonics, Nonlinear Optics, Fiber Lasers, Digital Signal Processing, Coherent Detection, Nonlinear Effects and Sustainability.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Machine Learning98▲ 1.21×68 topics
  2. Deep Learning96◆ 1.14×68 topics
  3. Epidemiology95◆ 0.97×94 topics
  4. Sustainability89▲ 1.48×57 topics
  5. Globalization77▲ 1.60×70 topics
  6. Optical Fiber63▲ 24×3 topics
  7. Microwave Photonics59▲ 27×2 topics
  8. Nonlinear Optics57▲ 21×4 topics
  9. Supply Chain Management52▲ 2.2×20 topics
  10. Fiber Lasers51▲ 21×3 topics
  11. Healthcare50▲ 1.80×25 topics
  12. Big Data49▲ 2.2×17 topics
  13. Renewable Energy47▲ 1.32×35 topics
  14. Innovation42▲ 1.63×33 topics
  15. Digital Signal Processing42▲ 35×2 topics
  16. Coherent Detection42▲ 39×1 topic
  17. Nonlinear Effects42▲ 39×1 topic
  18. Social Capital35▲ 2.7×16 topics
  19. Risk Management34▲ 2.9×12 topics
  20. Microresonators34▲ 17×3 topics
  21. Biosensors34▲ 2.7×11 topics
  22. Optical Frequency Combs33▲ 24×1 topic
  23. Ultrafast Lasers33▲ 24×1 topic
  24. Nationalism32▲ 2.8×20 topics
  25. Prevalence29▲ 2.9×12 topics
  26. Optical Access Networks26▲ 31×1 topic
  27. Photonic Signal Processing26▲ 31×1 topic
  28. Raman Lasers26▲ 9.2×2 topics
  29. Optical Modulators25▲ 6.8×3 topics
  30. Silicon Photonics24▲ 8.9×2 topics
  31. Integrated Circuits24▲ 6.2×3 topics
  32. Microcavities23▲ 8.3×1 topic
  33. Nanophotonic Waveguides23▲ 9.5×1 topic
  34. Structural Health Monitoring20▲ 10×3 topics
  35. Fiber Optic Sensors20▲ 15×1 topic
  36. Sensor Technology20▲ 15×1 topic
  37. Gas Sensing18▲ 17×2 topics
  38. Semiconductor Lasers18▲ 11×2 topics
  39. High-Power Laser18▲ 39×1 topic
  40. Supercontinuum Generation18▲ 39×1 topic

Which research topics does Aston University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Optical Network Technologies, Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies, Advanced Photonic Communication Systems and Photonic and Optical Devices.

Optical Network Technologies: 42 fractional worksAdvanced Fiber Laser Technologies: 33 fractional worksAdvanced Photonic Commun…26Advanced Photonic Communication Systems: 26 fractional worksPhotonic and Optical Dev…23Photonic and Optical Devices: 23 fractional worksAdvanced Fiber Optic Sensors: 20 fractional worksPhotonic Crystal and Fiber Optics: 18 fractional worksOcular Surface and Conta…16Ocular Surface and Contact Lens: 16 fractional worksDigital Transformation in Industry: 15 fractional worksOphthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies: 14 fractional worksSemiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices: 11 fractional works
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringAtomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering1 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Optical Network Technologies Electrical and Electronic Engineering 42 works
  2. 2 Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 33 works
  3. 3 Advanced Photonic Communication Systems Electrical and Electronic Engineering 26 works
  4. 4 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 23 works
  5. 5 Advanced Fiber Optic Sensors Electrical and Electronic Engineering 20 works
  6. 6 Photonic Crystal and Fiber Optics Electrical and Electronic Engineering 18 works
  7. 7 Ocular Surface and Contact Lens Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health 16 works
  8. 8 Digital Transformation in Industry Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering 15 works
  9. 9 Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies Epidemiology 14 works
  10. 10 Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 11 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available35.1%not open64.9%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors23.0%domestic only77.0%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Aston University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 10% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Birmingham

All research institutions in Birmingham

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.