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Research facility · London · United Kingdom

National Physical Laboratory

In research, National Physical Laboratory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#1,847 of 12,888 worldwide), Engineering (#2,271 of 6,636 worldwide) and Physics and Astronomy (#792 of 1,646 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Radiation, Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty and Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics — Radiation is 24.0× its share of world research.

npl.co.ukROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#2,609
of 28,054 · #593 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#104
of 1,094
Research works
10k
▼ 20% vs 2013–17
Citations
262k
26.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
14.9%
record average 16.5%
Open access
18%
world 28%

What is National Physical 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 #1,847 of 12,888 14.3%572 #415
EngineeringField #2,271 of 6,636 13.6%268 #432
Physics and AstronomyField #792 of 1,646 13.7%94 #431
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringSubfield #1,543 of 2,318 11.2%110 #675

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where National Physical 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#415 #1,847
  2. Engineering#432 #2,271
  3. Physics and Astronomy#431 #792
  4. Electrical and Electronic Engineering#675 #1,543
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 National Physical Laboratory specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Radiation takes 24.0× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. RadiationSubfield · 23.1 works24×
  2. Statistics, Probability and UncertaintySubfield · 22.9 works19×
  3. Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield · 53.8 works11×
  4. Physics and AstronomyField · 93.8 works6.0×
← 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: 0.11× its world share, 4 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.56× its world share, 21 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.19× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.18× its world share, 2 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.62× its world share, 2 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.66× its world share, 4 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 2.20× its world share, 24 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.99× its world share, 54 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2.05× its world share, 22 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.06× its world share, 7 worksEnergyEngineering: 2.56× its world share, 268 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.22× its world share, 42 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 2.05× its world share, 50 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.70× its world share, 6 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 6.03× its world share, 94 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.16× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.56× its world share, 10 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.32× its world share, 44 worksMedicineNursing: 0.13× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 0.04× its world share, 1 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.18× its world share, 4 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 4.24× its world share, 29 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.15× its world share, 2 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.09× its world share, 2 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.07× 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, 6.0×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at National Physical Laboratory?

Ranked on the composite score, Steven J. Spencer, J. H. Wilkinson and C. C. Bradley lead among researchers whose main affiliation is National Physical Laboratory.

  1. 1 Steven J. Spencer United Kingdom · #17,519 worldwide 874 citations · 49 works
  2. 2 J. H. Wilkinson United Kingdom · #18,011 worldwide 751 citations · 43 works
  3. 3 C. C. Bradley United Kingdom · #47,566 worldwide 890 citations · 29 works
  4. 4 M. P. Seah United Kingdom · #49,386 worldwide 432 citations · 73 works
  5. 5 Walter Stiles United Kingdom · #55,159 worldwide 229 citations · 45 works
  6. 6 R. J. Bell United Kingdom · #91,225 worldwide 300 citations · 29 works
  7. 7 Brian Wichmann United Kingdom · #93,115 worldwide 121 citations · 36 works
  8. 8 R.W. Powell United Kingdom · #98,233 worldwide 250 citations · 25 works
  9. 9 D. Ambrose United Kingdom · #102,623 worldwide 136 citations · 33 works
  10. 10 W. R. C. Rowley United Kingdom · #108,088 worldwide 241 citations · 46 works
All ranked researchers at National Physical Laboratory

Which keywords describe research at National Physical Laboratory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Quality Assurance, Measurement Uncertainty, Redefinition of SI Units, Imaging, Artificial Neural Networks, Machine Learning, Spectroscopy and Quantum Information.

▲ 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 Learning32▲ 1.41×38 topics
  2. Quality Assurance28▲ 24×4 topics
  3. Measurement Uncertainty20▲ 283×1 topic
  4. Redefinition of SI Units20▲ 283×1 topic
  5. Neural Networks20▲ 1.89×17 topics
  6. Biomedical Applications18▲ 2.2×19 topics
  7. Artificial Neural Networks17▲ 5.1×6 topics
  8. Mechanical Properties16▲ 2.3×22 topics
  9. Imaging14▲ 8.1×7 topics
  10. Health Effects14▲ 3.3×12 topics
  11. Lithium-ion Batteries14▲ 4.5×3 topics
  12. Biosensors13▲ 3.5×12 topics
  13. Spectroscopy12▲ 11×10 topics
  14. Quantum Information11▲ 14×3 topics
  15. Entanglement11▲ 10×4 topics
  16. On-Orbit Performance11▲ 135×1 topic
  17. Radiometric Calibration11▲ 135×1 topic
  18. Biosensing10▲ 17×3 topics
  19. Electric Vehicles10▲ 5.0×3 topics
  20. Magnetic Resonance Imaging10▲ 5.7×7 topics
  21. Geodesy10▲ 97×2 topics
  22. Raman Spectroscopy10▲ 7.1×6 topics
  23. Atomic Clocks10▲ 163×1 topic
  24. Microfabrication10▲ 32×3 topics
  25. Optical Clocks10▲ 163×1 topic
  26. Integrated Circuits10▲ 8.7×3 topics
  27. Metamaterial10▲ 14×2 topics
  28. Sensors9▲ 11×6 topics
  29. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy9▲ 17×2 topics
  30. Monte Carlo Simulation9▲ 6.5×8 topics
  31. Ceramic Materials9▲ 14×2 topics
  32. Battery Management Systems9▲ 8.2×1 topic
  33. Thermal Runaway9▲ 8.2×1 topic
  34. Tomography9▲ 6.9×5 topics
  35. Clinical Applications9▲ 20×2 topics
  36. Gas Turbine Engines8▲ 23×2 topics
  37. High Temperature Sensors8▲ 97×1 topic
  38. Microwave Filters8▲ 21×1 topic
  39. Substrate Integrated Waveguide8▲ 21×1 topic
  40. Thin Film Thermocouples8▲ 97×1 topic

Which research topics does National Physical Laboratory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Scientific Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation, Calibration and Measurement Techniques, Advanced Frequency and Time Standards and Advanced Battery Technologies Research.

Scientific Measurement a…20Scientific Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation: 20 fractional worksCalibration and Measurement Techniques: 11 fractional worksAdvanced Frequency and Time Standards: 10 fractional worksAdvanced Battery Technologies Research: 9 fractional worksAdvanced Sensor Technologies Research: 8 fractional worksMicrowave Engineering and Waveguides: 8 fractional worksAtomic and Subatomic Phy…8Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research: 8 fractional worksSensor Technology and Me…7Sensor Technology and Measurement Systems: 7 fractional worksFlow Measurement and Ana…7Flow Measurement and Analysis: 7 fractional worksAdvanced Radiotherapy Te…6Advanced Radiotherapy Techniques: 6 fractional works
Statistics, Probability and UncertaintyAerospace EngineeringAtomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsAutomotive Engineering5 others

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

  1. 1 Scientific Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty 20 works
  2. 2 Calibration and Measurement Techniques Aerospace Engineering 11 works
  3. 3 Advanced Frequency and Time Standards Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 10 works
  4. 4 Advanced Battery Technologies Research Automotive Engineering 9 works
  5. 5 Advanced Sensor Technologies Research Biomedical Engineering 8 works
  6. 6 Microwave Engineering and Waveguides Electrical and Electronic Engineering 8 works
  7. 7 Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 8 works
  8. 8 Sensor Technology and Measurement Systems Computer Networks and Communications 7 works
  9. 9 Flow Measurement and Analysis Mechanics of Materials 7 works
  10. 10 Advanced Radiotherapy Techniques Radiation 6 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 available18.4%not open81.6%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors22.3%domestic only77.7%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has National Physical Laboratory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 20% 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 London

All research institutions in London

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.