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Funder · Cambridge · United States

Draper Laboratory

In research, Draper Laboratory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#5,992 of 12,888 worldwide), 2022–2025.

draper.comROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#10,274
of 28,054 · #3,058 all time
Rank in United States
#1,385
of 4,192
Research works
2.6k
▼ 15% vs 2013–17
Citations
56k
21.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
16.2%
record average 16.5%
Open access
18%
world 28%

What is Draper Laboratory 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
Physical SciencesDomain #5,992 of 12,888 19.2%106 #2161

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Draper Laboratory 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).

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: 0.19× its world share, 2 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.86× its world share, 8 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.45× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.71× its world share, 5 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.04× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.28× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.44× its world share, 19 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.95× its world share, 2 worksEarth and Planetary …Engineering: 2.38× its world share, 60 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.67× its world share, 6 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.78× its world share, 5 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.57× its world share, 1 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 3.57× its world share, 13 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.47× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.57× its world share, 2 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.75× its world share, 24 worksMedicineNursing: 0.40× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 0.27× its world share, 1 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.18× its world share, 1 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 2.62× its world share, 4 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.12× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.41× its world share, 7 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.26× its world share, 6 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 3.6×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Draper Laboratory?

Ranked on the composite score, Marc S. Weinberg, Paul Zarchan and Nazareth Bedrossian lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Draper Laboratory.

  1. 1 Marc S. Weinberg United States · #121,562 worldwide 156 citations · 33 works
  2. 2 Paul Zarchan United States · #397,925 worldwide 114 citations · 16 works
  3. 3 Nazareth Bedrossian United States · #431,452 worldwide 101 citations · 16 works
  4. 4 Stuart I. Wright United States · #472,030 worldwide 122 citations · 28 works
  5. 5 Jaynarayan H. Lala United States · #476,206 worldwide 61 citations · 19 works
  6. 6 John M. Irvine United States · #512,810 worldwide 144 citations · 54 works
  7. 7 Jonathan Bernstein United States · #706,128 worldwide 45 citations · 19 works
  8. 8 Shawn Talbott United States · #723,727 worldwide 29 citations · 18 works
  9. 9 Frank Rees United States · #1,093,991 worldwide 5 citations · 18 works
  10. 10 A. I. Nazarenko United States · #1,156,960 worldwide 32 citations · 17 works
All ranked researchers at Draper Laboratory

Which keywords describe research at Draper Laboratory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Autonomous Vehicles, Optimal Control, Orbit Determination, Pose Estimation, On-Orbit Servicing, Space Debris, Sensor Fusion and Solar System Abundances.

▲ 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. Deep Learning6◆ 1.13×27 topics
  2. Machine Learning6◆ 1.10×18 topics
  3. Autonomous Vehicles4▲ 12×3 topics
  4. Optimal Control4▲ 30×3 topics
  5. Orbit Determination4▲ 50×2 topics
  6. Pose Estimation4▲ 19×2 topics
  7. On-Orbit Servicing3▲ 94×1 topic
  8. Sensor Fusion3▲ 18×3 topics
  9. Space Debris3▲ 94×1 topic
  10. Biosensors3▲ 3.5×6 topics
  11. Solar System Abundances3▲ 38×1 topic
  12. Terrestrial Planets3▲ 38×1 topic
  13. Tissue Engineering3▲ 3.0×4 topics
  14. Trajectory Optimization3▲ 33×2 topics
  15. Regenerative Medicine3▲ 7.1×4 topics
  16. Cell Culture3▲ 15×2 topics
  17. Optical Modulators3▲ 12×3 topics
  18. Solar Sail3▲ 126×1 topic
  19. Spacecraft Formation Flying3▲ 126×1 topic
  20. Driver Behavior3▲ 20×2 topics
  21. Human Factors3▲ 20×2 topics
  22. Hydrogels3▲ 8.5×2 topics
  23. Microfluidic Devices3▲ 13×2 topics
  24. Bioinks2▲ 25×1 topic
  25. Biomechanics2▲ 5.0×7 topics
  26. Bioprinting2▲ 25×1 topic
  27. Automation2▲ 21×1 topic
  28. Collision Avoidance2▲ 7.8×4 topics
  29. Trust2▲ 5.1×1 topic
  30. Multi-Agent Systems2▲ 7.2×3 topics
  31. Raman Lasers2▲ 12×2 topics
  32. Robotics2▲ 5.6×5 topics
  33. Thermal Behavior2▲ 33×2 topics
  34. Integrated Circuits2▲ 8.3×3 topics
  35. Lymphoma2▲ 8.3×2 topics
  36. Actuators2▲ 8.0×4 topics
  37. Silicon Photonics2▲ 12×2 topics
  38. Microcavities2▲ 10×1 topic
  39. Nanophotonic Waveguides2▲ 12×1 topic
  40. Microfluidics2▲ 14×3 topics

Which research topics does Draper Laboratory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Space Satellite Systems and Control, Astro and Planetary Science, Spacecraft Dynamics and Control and 3D Printing in Biomedical Research.

Space Satellite Systems …3Space Satellite Systems and Control: 3 fractional worksAstro and Planetary Scie…3Astro and Planetary Science: 3 fractional worksSpacecraft Dynamics and …3Spacecraft Dynamics and Control: 3 fractional works3D Printing in Biomedica…23D Printing in Biomedical Research: 2 fractional worksHuman-Automation Interaction and Safety: 2 fractional worksPhotonic and Optical Devices: 2 fractional worksTarget Tracking and Data…2Target Tracking and Data Fusion in Sensor Networks: 2 fractional worksSystems Engineering Methodologies and Applications: 1 fractional worksPhase-change materials and chalcogenides: 1 fractional worksFault Detection and Control Systems: 1 fractional works
Aerospace EngineeringAstronomy and AstrophysicsBiomedical EngineeringSocial Psychology4 others

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

  1. 1 Space Satellite Systems and Control Aerospace Engineering 3 works
  2. 2 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 3 works
  3. 3 Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Aerospace Engineering 3 works
  4. 4 3D Printing in Biomedical Research Biomedical Engineering 2 works
  5. 5 Human-Automation Interaction and Safety Social Psychology 2 works
  6. 6 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2 works
  7. 7 Target Tracking and Data Fusion in Sensor Networks Artificial Intelligence 2 works
  8. 8 Systems Engineering Methodologies and Applications Control and Systems Engineering 1 works
  9. 9 Phase-change materials and chalcogenides Materials Chemistry 1 works
  10. 10 Fault Detection and Control Systems Control and Systems Engineering 1 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 available18.1%not open81.9%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors6.0%domestic only94.0%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Draper Laboratory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 15% lower 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 Cambridge

All research institutions in Cambridge

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.