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University · Ghent · Belgium

Ghent University

In research, Ghent University stands highest in Physical Sciences (#181 of 12,888 worldwide), Social Sciences (#165 of 10,521 worldwide) and Health Sciences (#226 of 11,982 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Equine, Veterinary and Small Animals — Equine is 14.2× its share of world research.

ugent.beROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#168
of 28,054 · #176 all time
Rank in Belgium
#2
of 138
Research works
77k
◆ 0% vs 2013–17
Citations
2.4M
31.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
25.0%
record average 16.5%
Open access
45%
world 28%

What is Ghent 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
Physical SciencesDomain #181 of 12,888 21.0%5,034 #238
Social SciencesDomain #165 of 10,521 30.5%2,503 #168
Health SciencesDomain #226 of 11,982 24.1%1,880 #226
Life SciencesDomain #176 of 7,800 29.4%1,973 #126
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #81 of 3,409 35.1%821 #19
Social SciencesField #161 of 6,365 32.9%1,084 #186
MedicineField #295 of 10,443 23.5%1,417 #292
Environmental ScienceField #106 of 3,551 28.7%793 #84
EngineeringField #300 of 6,636 17.5%1,921 #211
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #170 of 3,579 26.5%715 #126

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Ghent 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. Physical Sciences#238 #181
  2. Social Sciences#168 #165
  3. Health Sciences#226 #226
  4. Life Sciences#126 #176
  5. Agricultural and Biological Sciences#19 #81
  6. Social Sciences#186 #161
  7. Medicine#292 #295
  8. Environmental Science#84 #106
  9. Engineering#211 #300
  10. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#126 #170
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 Ghent University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Equine takes 14.2× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. EquineSubfield · 21.0 works14×
  2. VeterinaryField · 107.9 works7.0×
  3. Small AnimalsSubfield · 86.8 works6.2×
  4. Discrete Mathematics and CombinatoricsSubfield · 24.2 works5.3×
  5. Animal Science and ZoologySubfield · 89.3 works3.6×
  6. Public AdministrationSubfield · 20.7 works3.4×
← 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: 1.52× its world share, 821 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.18× its world share, 715 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.39× its world share, 160 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.31× its world share, 241 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.88× its world share, 36 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.89× its world share, 75 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.41× its world share, 252 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.85× its world share, 757 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.18× its world share, 210 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.64× its world share, 67 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.12× its world share, 1,921 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.40× its world share, 793 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.15× its world share, 457 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.72× its world share, 230 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.07× its world share, 272 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.88× its world share, 49 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.80× its world share, 241 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.65× its world share, 1,417 worksMedicineNursing: 1.17× its world share, 66 worksNursingVeterinary: 6.97× its world share, 108 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.22× its world share, 402 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.58× its world share, 213 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.11× its world share, 122 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.67× its world share, 164 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.49× its world share, 517 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.75× its world share, 1,084 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Veterinary, 7.0×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Ghent University?

Ranked on the composite score, Peter Vandenabeele, Marleen Temmerman and Bart Soenens lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Ghent University.

  1. 1 Peter Vandenabeele Belgium · #2,034 worldwide 2k citations · 86 works
  2. 2 Marleen Temmerman Belgium · #2,223 worldwide 1.1k citations · 105 works
  3. 3 Bart Soenens Belgium · #4,735 worldwide 1.6k citations · 77 works
  4. 4 Wim Bogaerts Belgium · #6,865 worldwide 1.9k citations · 192 works
  5. 5 Maarten Vansteenkiste Belgium · #7,100 worldwide 1.6k citations · 91 works
  6. 6 Rudi Beyaert Belgium · #8,040 worldwide 671 citations · 86 works
  7. 7 Pieter Dumon Belgium · #8,075 worldwide 1.1k citations · 75 works
  8. 8 Bruno Pot Belgium · #9,390 worldwide 1.5k citations · 55 works
  9. 9 Walter Fiers Belgium · #13,013 worldwide 686 citations · 77 works
  10. 10 Guy De Backer Belgium · #14,508 worldwide 694 citations · 104 works
All ranked researchers at Ghent University

Which keywords describe research at Ghent University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Epidemiology, Environmental Impact, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Sustainability, Catalysis and Gut Microbiota.

▲ 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. Climate Change402▲ 1.31×101 topics
  2. Epidemiology398◆ 0.88×131 topics
  3. Deep Learning303▼ 0.78×75 topics
  4. Machine Learning303▼ 0.81×79 topics
  5. Environmental Impact261▲ 1.35×59 topics
  6. Sustainability251◆ 0.90×95 topics
  7. Globalization179▼ 0.80×99 topics
  8. Mental Health177◆ 1.06×42 topics
  9. Nanoparticles172▲ 1.20×44 topics
  10. Public Health168◆ 1.02×57 topics
  11. Inflammation167▼ 0.70×82 topics
  12. Mechanical Properties153▲ 1.38×37 topics
  13. Biomedical Applications153◆ 1.13×34 topics
  14. Catalysis148▲ 1.95×25 topics
  15. Quality of Life147◆ 0.90×52 topics
  16. Neural Networks140▼ 0.80×37 topics
  17. Remote Sensing130◆ 0.93×37 topics
  18. Biodiversity120▲ 1.41×31 topics
  19. Health Effects113▲ 1.65×24 topics
  20. Biosensors108▲ 1.85×12 topics
  21. Gut Microbiota107▲ 2.7×7 topics
  22. Recycling90▲ 2.1×10 topics
  23. Ecosystem Services86▲ 1.96×14 topics
  24. Invasive Species86▲ 1.77×21 topics
  25. Emotion Regulation80▲ 2.2×9 topics
  26. Waste Management78▲ 1.67×10 topics
  27. Global Change73▲ 2.5×7 topics
  28. Additive Manufacturing73▲ 2.1×8 topics
  29. Integrated Circuits70▲ 3.9×3 topics
  30. Optical Modulators70▲ 4.2×3 topics
  31. Probiotics70▲ 2.6×6 topics
  32. Rheology69▲ 3.1×8 topics
  33. Geopolymer66▲ 4.1×2 topics
  34. Microcavities66▲ 5.2×2 topics
  35. 3D Printing65▲ 2.4×5 topics
  36. Raman Lasers65▲ 5.0×2 topics
  37. Nanophotonic Waveguides64▲ 5.7×1 topic
  38. Silicon Photonics64▲ 5.1×1 topic
  39. Animal Welfare49▲ 4.9×5 topics
  40. Semiconductor Lasers42▲ 5.5×2 topics

Which research topics does Ghent University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Photonic and Optical Devices, Concrete and Cement Materials Research, Microplastics and Plastic Pollution and Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies.

Photonic and Optical Devices: 64 fractional worksConcrete and Cement Materials Research: 41 fractional worksMicroplastics and Plastic Pollution: 32 fractional worksAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies: 31 fractional worksAnimal Nutrition and Physiology: 30 fractional worksCatalytic Processes in Materials Science: 29 fractional worksRecycling and Waste Mana…28Recycling and Waste Management Techniques: 28 fractional worksInnovations in Concrete and Construction Materials: 25 fractional worksbiodegradable polymer synthesis and properties: 25 fractional worksInnovative concrete rein…25Innovative concrete reinforcement materials: 25 fractional works
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringCivil and Structural EngineeringPollutionAutomotive Engineering5 others

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

  1. 1 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 64 works
  2. 2 Concrete and Cement Materials Research Civil and Structural Engineering 41 works
  3. 3 Microplastics and Plastic Pollution Pollution 32 works
  4. 4 Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies Automotive Engineering 31 works
  5. 5 Animal Nutrition and Physiology Animal Science and Zoology 30 works
  6. 6 Catalytic Processes in Materials Science Materials Chemistry 29 works
  7. 7 Recycling and Waste Management Techniques Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering 28 works
  8. 8 Innovations in Concrete and Construction Materials Building and Construction 25 works
  9. 9 biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties Biomaterials 25 works
  10. 10 Innovative concrete reinforcement materials Civil and Structural Engineering 25 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 available44.6%not open55.4%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors30.4%domestic only69.6%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Ghent University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 0% 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 Ghent

All research institutions in Ghent

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.