Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Research facility · North Laurel · United States

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

In research, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#2,121 of 12,888 worldwide), Astronomy and Astrophysics (#115 of 443 worldwide) and Engineering (#2,394 of 6,636 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Physics and Astronomy and Aerospace Engineering — Astronomy and Astrophysics is 44.2× its share of world research.

jhuapl.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#3,239
of 28,054 · #821 all time
Rank in United States
#461
of 4,192
Research works
11k
▼ 2% vs 2013–17
Citations
249k
23.6 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
14.7%
record average 16.5%
Open access
27%
world 28%

What is Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics 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 #2,121 of 12,888 14.3%972 #600
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #115 of 443 17.9%291 #91
EngineeringField #2,394 of 6,636 12.4%322 #505
Earth and Planetary SciencesField #593 of 1,209 16.2%73 #210
Health SciencesDomain #6,525 of 11,982 15.8%111 #3360
MedicineField #5,995 of 10,443 14.2%90 #3137
Life SciencesDomain #4,690 of 7,800 17.4%78 #2943
Computer ScienceField #3,017 of 4,667 10.6%148 #1251
Social SciencesDomain #7,683 of 10,521 15.6%104 #2365
Aerospace EngineeringSubfield #581 of 795 18.5%126 #200

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics 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).

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#600 #2,121
  2. Astronomy and Astrophysics#91 #115
  3. Engineering#505 #2,394
  4. Earth and Planetary Sciences#210 #593
  5. Health Sciences#3,360 #6,525
  6. Medicine#3,137 #5,995
  7. Life Sciences#2,943 #4,690
  8. Computer Science#1,251 #3,017
  9. Social Sciences#2,365 #7,683
  10. Aerospace Engineering#200 #581
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 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Astronomy and Astrophysics takes 44.2× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield · 290.8 works44×
  2. Physics and AstronomyField · 328.9 works12×
  3. Aerospace EngineeringSubfield · 125.6 works8.5×
  4. Atmospheric ScienceSubfield · 33.9 works6.1×
  5. GeophysicsSubfield · 20.1 works4.5×
← 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: 0.07× its world share, 4 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.70× its world share, 47 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.27× its world share, 3 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.07× its world share, 22 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.27× its world share, 1 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.53× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.29× its world share, 6 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.50× its world share, 148 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 3.68× its world share, 73 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.51× its world share, 6 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.70× its world share, 322 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.68× its world share, 43 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.67× its world share, 29 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.94× its world share, 14 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 11.69× its world share, 329 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.27× its world share, 2 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.51× its world share, 17 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.37× its world share, 90 worksMedicineNursing: 0.17× its world share, 1 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.46× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.23× its world share, 8 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.26× its world share, 11 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.11× its world share, 14 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.55× its world share, 15 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.43× its world share, 17 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.25× its world share, 41 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 11.7×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory?

Ranked on the composite score, J. D. Franson, J. R. Johnson and R. D. Lorenz lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

  1. 1 J. D. Franson United States · #43,691 worldwide 653 citations · 74 works
  2. 2 J. R. Johnson United States · #76,757 worldwide 679 citations · 136 works
  3. 3 R. D. Lorenz United States · #78,163 worldwide 2.2k citations · 432 works
  4. 4 M. E. Perry United States · #87,012 worldwide 309 citations · 67 works
  5. 5 F. P. Seelos United States · #98,219 worldwide 301 citations · 80 works
  6. 6 Ronald‐Louis Ballouz United States · #100,789 worldwide 184 citations · 30 works
  7. 7 R. K. Raney United States · #107,333 worldwide 229 citations · 54 works
  8. 8 David M. Silver United States · #122,537 worldwide 225 citations · 35 works
  9. 9 Thomas D. Taylor United States · #130,899 worldwide 179 citations · 47 works
  10. 10 Michael J. Fitch United States · #136,493 worldwide 224 citations · 26 works
All ranked researchers at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Which keywords describe research at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Solar Wind, Solar System Abundances, Terrestrial Planets, Electron Acceleration, Ionosphere, Magnetosphere, Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Dynamics Observatory.

▲ 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. Solar Wind114▲ 97×2 topics
  2. Solar System Abundances76▲ 125×1 topic
  3. Terrestrial Planets76▲ 125×1 topic
  4. Deep Learning62▲ 1.44×68 topics
  5. Machine Learning60▲ 1.46×64 topics
  6. Electron Acceleration58▲ 68×2 topics
  7. Ionosphere58▲ 82×1 topic
  8. Magnetosphere58▲ 82×1 topic
  9. Coronal Mass Ejections56▲ 120×1 topic
  10. Solar Dynamics Observatory56▲ 120×1 topic
  11. Climate Change54▲ 1.59×60 topics
  12. Mars53▲ 130×1 topic
  13. Martian Surface53▲ 130×1 topic
  14. Neural Networks31▲ 1.60×29 topics
  15. Remote Sensing24▲ 1.53×24 topics
  16. Thermal Analysis24▲ 15×3 topics
  17. CubeSat23▲ 97×1 topic
  18. small satellite23▲ 97×1 topic
  19. Biomineralization22▲ 26×2 topics
  20. Magnetic Properties22▲ 26×2 topics
  21. Geomagnetic Field22▲ 78×1 topic
  22. Magnetosome Formation22▲ 78×1 topic
  23. Biomechanics14▲ 3.8×11 topics
  24. Orbit Determination14▲ 26×2 topics
  25. Ionospheric Anomalies14▲ 28×1 topic
  26. Seismic Electromagnetics14▲ 28×1 topic
  27. Thermodynamic Modeling13▲ 9.0×2 topics
  28. Pose Estimation13▲ 8.8×3 topics
  29. Exoplanets12▲ 24×1 topic
  30. Stellar Astrophysics12▲ 24×1 topic
  31. Ocean Circulation12▲ 7.2×3 topics
  32. Optimal Control12▲ 13×4 topics
  33. Arctic12▲ 8.1×4 topics
  34. Sea Level Rise11▲ 6.9×3 topics
  35. Cryogenic Storage11▲ 29×1 topic
  36. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)11▲ 29×1 topic
  37. Sensor Fusion10▲ 7.5×3 topics
  38. Space Exploration10▲ 18×2 topics
  39. On-Orbit Servicing10▲ 35×1 topic
  40. Trajectory Optimization10▲ 14×2 topics

Which research topics does Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Astro and Planetary Science, Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics, Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics and Planetary Science and Exploration.

Astro and Planetary Scie…76Astro and Planetary Science: 76 fractional worksIonosphere and magnetosphere dynamics: 58 fractional worksSolar and Space Plasma Dynamics: 56 fractional worksPlanetary Science and Ex…53Planetary Science and Exploration: 53 fractional worksSpacecraft Design and Te…23Spacecraft Design and Technology: 23 fractional worksGeomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies: 22 fractional worksEarthquake Detection and Analysis: 14 fractional worksStellar, planetary, and galactic studies: 12 fractional worksSpacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies: 11 fractional worksSpace Satellite Systems and Control: 10 fractional works
Astronomy and AstrophysicsAerospace EngineeringMolecular BiologyGeophysics

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

  1. 1 Astro and Planetary Science Astronomy and Astrophysics 76 works
  2. 2 Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 58 works
  3. 3 Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 56 works
  4. 4 Planetary Science and Exploration Astronomy and Astrophysics 53 works
  5. 5 Spacecraft Design and Technology Aerospace Engineering 23 works
  6. 6 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies Molecular Biology 22 works
  7. 7 Earthquake Detection and Analysis Geophysics 14 works
  8. 8 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies Astronomy and Astrophysics 12 works
  9. 9 Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies Aerospace Engineering 11 works
  10. 10 Space Satellite Systems and Control Aerospace Engineering 10 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 available26.8%not open73.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors13.6%domestic only86.4%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 2% 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.

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.