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Nonprofit · Washington · United States

Carnegie Institution for Science

In research, Carnegie Institution for Science stands highest in Life Sciences (#404 of 6,403 worldwide), Physical Sciences (#780 of 10,670 worldwide) and Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#343 of 3,157 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Instrumentation, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Geophysics (Instrumentation is 44.7× its share of world research).

World rank, 2022-now
#1,005
of 22,385 · #494 all time
Rank in United States
#221
of 3,332
Research works
17k
▼ 7% vs 2018-21
Citations
1.1M
63.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
14.7%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.12×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
37%
world 40%
International
27%
world 18%

What is Carnegie Institution for Science known for in research?

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

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Life SciencesDomain #404 of 6,403 14.2%342 #396
Physical SciencesDomain #780 of 10,670 16.7%630 #275
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #343 of 3,157 15.0%175 #184
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #51 of 400 20.6%162 #38
Plant ScienceSubfield #195 of 1,317 13.6%115 #83
EngineeringField #900 of 5,901 14.9%75 #807
Earth and Planetary SciencesField #169 of 1,088 13.8%143 #62
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #489 of 2,964 13.5%143 #396
Environmental ScienceField #572 of 3,334 20.2%107 #366
Physics and AstronomyField #282 of 1,417 20.1%218 #145

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Carnegie Institution for Science 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 average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which of those standings moved

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

  1. Life Sciences#396 #404
  2. Physical Sciences#275 #780
  3. Agricultural and Biological Sciences#184 #343
  4. Astronomy and Astrophysics#38 #51
  5. Plant Science#83 #195
  6. Engineering#807 #900
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences#62 #169
  8. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#396 #489
  9. Environmental Science#366 #572
  10. Physics and Astronomy#145 #282
all time2022-now, better2022-now, worse

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

Which fields of science does Carnegie Institution for Science work in?

In 2022-now, 54% of research at Carnegie Institution for Science is in Physical Sciences, 31% in Life Sciences. Its largest fields are Physics and Astronomy (19%), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (16%), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (13%). It does 2.3× the world's share of Life Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 721 fractional works · 54.1% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 251 fractional works · 18.8% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 185 fractional works · 13.8% of its workInstrumentation: 30 fractional works · 2.2% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 16 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 11 fractional works · 0.8% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 168 fractional works · 12.6% of its workGeophysics: 113 fractional works · 8.4% of its workOceanography: 16 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAtmospheric Science: 14 fractional works · 1.0% of its workPaleontology: 12 fractional works · 0.9% of its workGeochemistry and Petrology: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnvironmental Science: 123 fractional works · 9.2% of its workEcology: 35 fractional works · 2.6% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 19 fractional works · 1.4% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 19 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPollution: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workWater Science and Technology: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEngineering: 81 fractional works · 6.1% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 13 fractional works · 1.0% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 13 fractional works · 1.0% of its workOcean Engineering: 11 fractional works · 0.8% of its workMechanical Engineering: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMechanics of Materials: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAerospace Engineering: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workComputational Mechanics: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBuilding and Construction: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMaterials Science: 30 fractional works · 2.2% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 15 fractional works · 1.1% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiomaterials: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Science: 28 fractional works · 2.1% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 19 fractional works · 1.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workChemistry: 20 fractional works · 1.5% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSpectroscopy: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnergy: 15 fractional works · 1.1% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 12 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemical Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematics: 2 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 414 fractional works · 31.0% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 215 fractional works · 16.1% of its workPlant Science: 140 fractional works · 10.5% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 23 fractional works · 1.7% of its workFood Science: 11 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSoil Science: 10 fractional works · 0.8% of its workInsect Science: 10 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAgronomy and Crop Science: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workForestry: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 169 fractional works · 12.6% of its workMolecular Biology: 110 fractional works · 8.3% of its workGenetics: 22 fractional works · 1.6% of its workCell Biology: 15 fractional works · 1.1% of its workBiotechnology: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCancer Research: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEndocrinology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNeuroscience: 13 fractional works · 1.0% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 8 fractional works · 0.6% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 12 fractional works · 0.9% of its workImmunology: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth Sciences: 155 fractional works · 11.6% of its workMedicine: 137 fractional works · 10.3% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 18 fractional works · 1.3% of its workReproductive Medicine: 14 fractional works · 1.1% of its workSurgery: 13 fractional works · 1.0% of its workPhysiology: 9 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEpidemiology: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOncology: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComplementary and alternative medicine: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRheumatology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeurology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRehabilitation: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 19 fractional works · 1.4% of its workNursing: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 9 fractional works · 0.7% of its workHealth Professions: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workVeterinary: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDentistry: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 44 fractional works · 3.3% of its workSocial Sciences: 22 fractional works · 1.6% of its workSociology and Political Science: 7 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEducation: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPsychology: 6 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDecision Sciences: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workArts and Humanities: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.0% of its workALL ITS WORKCarnegieInstitution for…1,334fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences31%Physical Sciences54%Health Sciences12%Social Sciences3%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Physics and Astronomy25118.8%
    2. Earth and Planetary Sciences16812.6%
    3. Environmental Science1239.2%
    4. Engineering816.1%
    5. Materials Science302.2%
    6. Computer Science282.1%
    7. Chemistry201.5%
    8. Energy151.1%
    9. Chemical Engineering30.2%
    10. Mathematics20.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences21516.1%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology16912.6%
    3. Neuroscience131.0%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology120.9%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics60.4%
    1. Medicine13710.3%
    2. Nursing90.7%
    3. Health Professions40.3%
    4. Veterinary30.2%
    5. Dentistry10.1%
    1. Social Sciences221.6%
    2. Psychology60.4%
    3. Decision Sciences50.4%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting40.3%
    5. Arts and Humanities40.3%
    6. Economics, Econometrics and Finance40.3%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Carnegie Institution for Science specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Instrumentation takes 44.7× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. InstrumentationSubfield · 29.8 works45×
  2. Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield · 184.6 works27×
  3. GeophysicsSubfield · 112.6 works24×
  4. Physics and AstronomyField · 251.5 works8.5×
  5. Earth and Planetary SciencesField · 167.9 works8.0×
← 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: 3.39× its world share, 215 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 2.37× its world share, 169 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.87× its world share, 12 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.60× its world share, 13 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.19× its world share, 6 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.70× its world share, 3 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.96× its world share, 20 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.27× its world share, 28 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 8.02× its world share, 168 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.21× its world share, 15 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.40× its world share, 81 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.86× its world share, 123 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.64× its world share, 30 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.11× its world share, 2 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 8.47× its world share, 252 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.18× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.12× its world share, 4 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.54× its world share, 137 worksMedicineNursing: 1.41× its world share, 9 worksNursingVeterinary: 1.57× its world share, 3 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.10× its world share, 4 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.10× its world share, 4 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.39× its world share, 5 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.13× its world share, 4 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.14× its world share, 6 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.13× its world share, 22 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 8.5×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Physics and Astronomy8.47×252 works
  2. Earth and Planetary Sciences8.02×168 works
  3. Agricultural and Biological Sciences3.39×215 works
  4. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology2.37×169 works
  5. Environmental Science1.86×123 works
  6. Veterinary1.57×3 works
  7. Nursing1.41×9 works
  8. Energy1.21×15 works
  9. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics1.19×6 works
  10. Chemistry0.96×20 works
  11. Immunology and Microbiology0.87×12 works
  12. Chemical Engineering0.70×3 works
  13. Materials Science0.64×30 works
  14. Neuroscience0.60×13 works
  15. Medicine0.54×137 works
  16. Engineering0.40×81 works
  17. Decision Sciences0.39×5 works
  18. Computer Science0.27×28 works
  19. Dentistry0.18×1 works
  20. Psychology0.14×6 works
  21. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.13×4 works
  22. Social Sciences0.13×22 works
  23. Health Professions0.12×4 works
  24. Mathematics0.11×2 works
  25. Arts and Humanities0.10×4 works
  26. Business, Management and Accounting0.10×4 works

Who are the top researchers at Carnegie Institution for Science?

Ranked on the quality score, Allan C. Spradling, Chris R. Somerville and Christopher B. Field lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Carnegie Institution for Science.

  1. 1 Allan C. Spradling United States · #3,806 worldwide 48k citations · 262 works
  2. 2 Chris R. Somerville United States · #4,156 worldwide 41k citations · 271 works
  3. 3 Christopher B. Field United States · #5,356 worldwide 101k citations · 549 works
  4. 4 Gregory P. Asner United States · #8,713 worldwide 98k citations · 1,051 works
  5. 5 Wolf Bernd Frommer United States · #10,804 worldwide 42k citations · 397 works
  6. 6 Joseph A. Berry United States · #11,814 worldwide 70k citations · 489 works
  7. 7 Ken Caldeira United States · #16,431 worldwide 30k citations · 306 works
  8. 8 David W. Ehrhardt United States · #16,546 worldwide 15k citations · 124 works
  9. 9 Lorenzo Rosa United States · #19,296 worldwide 8.3k citations · 186 works
  10. 10 Roberta E. Martin United States · #23,116 worldwide 17k citations · 238 works
All ranked researchers at Carnegie Institution for Science

What are the most cited papers from Carnegie Institution for Science?

The most cited paper from Carnegie Institution for Science is "Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans" (Andrew Z. Fire, Siqun Xu, Mary Katherine Montgomery et al., 1998), with 15,508 citations. Next come "Global Consequences of Land Use" (13,282) and "Rapid isolation of high molecular weight plant DNA" (12,462).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans Andrew Z. Fire, Siqun Xu, Mary Katherine Montgomery et al. · Nature Open access Feb 1998 15,508
2 Global Consequences of Land Use Jonathan A. Foley, Ruth DeFries, Gregory P. Asner et al. · Science Open access 22 Jul 2005 13,282
3 Rapid isolation of high molecular weight plant DNA Michael G. Murray, William F. Thompson · Nucleic Acids Research Open access 1980 12,462
4 The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary Donald G. York et al. · The Astronomical Journal Open access144 authors Sep 2000 10,547
5 A biochemical model of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in leaves of C3 species Graham D. Farquhar, Susanne von Caemmerer, Joseph A. Berry · Planta Jun 1980 9,134
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Carnegie Institution for Science?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Plate Tectonics, Climate Change, Tomography, Star Formation, Exoplanets, Stellar Astrophysics, Superconductivity and Tectonics.

▲ 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-now 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. Climate Change92▲ 2.5×80 topics
  2. Plate Tectonics64▲ 32×3 topics
  3. Tomography48▲ 20×5 topics
  4. Star Formation47▲ 62×2 topics
  5. Exoplanets44▲ 83×1 topic
  6. Stellar Astrophysics44▲ 83×1 topic
  7. Oxidative Stress37▲ 1.70×57 topics
  8. Superconductivity36▲ 16×9 topics
  9. Tectonics33▲ 20×3 topics
  10. Thermodynamic Modeling32▲ 21×2 topics
  11. Magnetic Fields32▲ 36×3 topics
  12. Solar System Abundances32▲ 49×1 topic
  13. Terrestrial Planets32▲ 49×1 topic
  14. Accretion Disks31▲ 47×2 topics
  15. Crystal Structure Prediction31▲ 49×1 topic
  16. Gene Expression31▲ 3.7×19 topics
  17. Mantle Dynamics31▲ 49×1 topic
  18. Geochronology31▲ 34×1 topic
  19. Zircon31▲ 34×1 topic
  20. Astronomical Instrumentation30▲ 69×1 topic
  21. Black Holes30▲ 23×3 topics
  22. Spectrograph30▲ 69×1 topic
  23. Dark Matter27▲ 18×3 topics
  24. Cosmology27▲ 29×2 topics
  25. Phylogenetic Analysis26▲ 6.3×14 topics
  26. Gravitational Waves25▲ 33×2 topics
  27. Turbulence25▲ 21×3 topics
  28. Molecular Clouds24▲ 68×1 topic
  29. Protoplanetary Disks24▲ 68×1 topic
  30. Supernovae24▲ 23×2 topics
  31. Microbial Communities24▲ 4.0×10 topics
  32. Metabolism23▲ 3.3×26 topics
  33. Galaxies22▲ 57×1 topic
  34. Stellar Populations22▲ 57×1 topic
  35. Nucleosynthesis22▲ 33×3 topics
  36. Gamma-Ray Bursts19▲ 54×1 topic
  37. Neutron Stars19▲ 54×1 topic
  38. Mars16▲ 36×1 topic
  39. Martian Surface16▲ 36×1 topic
  40. Seismic Noise16▲ 25×1 topic

Which research topics does Carnegie Institution for Science publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, Astro and Planetary Science, High-pressure geophysics and materials and Geological and Geochemical Analysis.

  1. 1 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 44 works
  2. 2 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 32 works
  3. 3 High-pressure geophysics and materials Geophysics 31 works
  4. 4 Geological and Geochemical Analysis Geophysics 31 works
  5. 5 Astronomy and Astrophysical Research Instrumentation 30 works
  6. 6 Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 24 works
  7. 7 Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena Astronomy and Astrophysics 22 works
  8. 8 Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae Astronomy and Astrophysics 19 works
  9. 9 Planetary Science and Exploration Astronomy and Astrophysics 16 works
  10. 10 Seismic Waves and Analysis Geophysics 16 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 available36.9%not open63.1%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors26.8%domestic only73.2%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Carnegie Institution for Science's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 7% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Carnegie Institution for Science as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0046% in 2024.

still counting0.025%0.050%0.075%Carnegie Institution for Science0.0055% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Carnegie Institution for Science over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting10%20%30%Carnegie Institution for Science13.5% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 26.6% in 1998.

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Carnegie Institution for Science on Science Explorer

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Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where Carnegie Institution for Science is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

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