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University · West Lafayette · United States

Purdue University West Lafayette

In research, Purdue University West Lafayette stands highest in Physical Sciences (#107 of 12,888 worldwide), Social Sciences (#133 of 10,521 worldwide) and Computer Science (#74 of 4,667 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Geophysics, Environmental Chemistry and Oceanography — Geophysics is 20.1× its share of world research.

purdue.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#113
of 28,054 · #51 all time
Rank in United States
#32
of 4,192
Research works
152k
▲ 28% vs 2013–17
Citations
4.5M
29.9 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
17.7%
record average 16.5%
Open access
32%
world 28%

What is Purdue University West Lafayette 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 #107 of 12,888 14.6%12,127 #49
Social SciencesDomain #133 of 10,521 25.7%3,432 #51
Computer ScienceField #74 of 4,667 21.1%1,976 #26
Social SciencesField #117 of 6,365 27.8%1,522 #42
EngineeringField #130 of 6,636 16.7%4,241 #29
Life SciencesDomain #202 of 7,800 21.6%2,533 #103
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #96 of 3,579 18.9%1,096 #73
Environmental ScienceField #110 of 3,551 14.4%1,232 #83
PsychologyField #85 of 2,181 25.7%714 #47
Physics and AstronomyField #67 of 1,646 12.3%1,099 #57

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Purdue University West Lafayette 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#49 #107
  2. Social Sciences#51 #133
  3. Computer Science#26 #74
  4. Social Sciences#42 #117
  5. Engineering#29 #130
  6. Life Sciences#103 #202
  7. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#73 #96
  8. Environmental Science#83 #110
  9. Psychology#47 #85
  10. Physics and Astronomy#57 #67
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 Purdue University West Lafayette specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Geophysics takes 20.1× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. GeophysicsSubfield · 1,388.2 works20×
  2. Environmental ChemistrySubfield · 544.7 works13×
  3. OceanographySubfield · 367.3 works6.6×
  4. Earth and Planetary SciencesField · 1,944.3 works6.3×
  5. Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield · 503.4 works4.9×
  6. ArchitectureSubfield · 36.9 works4.8×
← 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: 0.97× its world share, 912 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.04× its world share, 1,096 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.52× its world share, 104 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.10× its world share, 352 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.98× its world share, 68 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.32× its world share, 91 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.23× its world share, 382 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.29× its world share, 1,976 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 6.27× its world share, 1,944 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.62× its world share, 112 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.43× its world share, 4,241 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.25× its world share, 1,232 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.99× its world share, 681 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.59× its world share, 369 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 2.50× its world share, 1,099 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.06× its world share, 6 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.56× its world share, 292 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.32× its world share, 1,206 worksMedicineNursing: 0.84× its world share, 81 worksNursingVeterinary: 3.21× its world share, 86 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.57× its world share, 326 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.54× its world share, 345 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.44× its world share, 276 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.59× its world share, 250 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.18× its world share, 714 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.61× its world share, 1,522 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 6.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Purdue University West Lafayette?

Ranked on the composite score, Supriyo Datta, Issam Mudawar and Connie M. Weaver lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Purdue University West Lafayette.

  1. 1 Supriyo Datta United States · #1,488 worldwide 2.5k citations · 129 works
  2. 2 Issam Mudawar United States · #1,849 worldwide 2.4k citations · 90 works
  3. 3 Connie M. Weaver United States · #3,114 worldwide 1.6k citations · 95 works
  4. 4 David J. Love United States · #4,646 worldwide 2.3k citations · 151 works
  5. 5 Jie Shen United States · #4,848 worldwide 1.4k citations · 77 works
  6. 6 Thomas E. Scruggs United States · #5,318 worldwide 1.2k citations · 78 works
  7. 7 R. Wilkinson United States · #6,685 worldwide 1.8k citations · 106 works
  8. 8 John J. McConnell United States · #6,707 worldwide 1k citations · 60 works
  9. 9 Fred Mannering United States · #7,229 worldwide 1.1k citations · 79 works
  10. 10 Eugene H. Spafford United States · #7,354 worldwide 925 citations · 69 works
All ranked researchers at Purdue University West Lafayette

Which keywords describe research at Purdue University West Lafayette?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Ionospheric Anomalies, Seismic Electromagnetics, Microbial Communities, Methane Oxidation, Anaerobic, Gas Hydrates, Tomography and Hydrological Modeling.

▲ 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. Ionospheric Anomalies977▲ 128×1 topic
  2. Seismic Electromagnetics977▲ 128×1 topic
  3. Deep Learning856▲ 1.27×81 topics
  4. Machine Learning837▲ 1.29×90 topics
  5. Climate Change778▲ 1.46×103 topics
  6. Microbial Communities569▲ 6.8×10 topics
  7. Methane Oxidation502▲ 31×2 topics
  8. Anaerobic502▲ 37×1 topic
  9. Gas Hydrates502▲ 37×1 topic
  10. Neural Networks417▲ 1.37×37 topics
  11. Sustainability416▼ 0.86×96 topics
  12. Tomography412▲ 11×5 topics
  13. Hydrological Modeling390▲ 8.4×5 topics
  14. Solar Wind379▲ 21×2 topics
  15. Electron Acceleration371▲ 28×2 topics
  16. Seismic Noise370▲ 39×1 topic
  17. Surface Wave370▲ 39×1 topic
  18. Ionosphere369▲ 33×1 topic
  19. Magnetosphere369▲ 33×1 topic
  20. Sea Level Rise365▲ 15×3 topics
  21. Geodetic Measurements352▲ 16×2 topics
  22. GRACE346▲ 34×1 topic
  23. groundwater depletion346▲ 34×1 topic
  24. Education274▼ 0.81×81 topics
  25. Biomedical Applications247◆ 1.05×35 topics
  26. Nanoparticles233◆ 0.94×44 topics
  27. Heat Transfer227▲ 2.3×18 topics
  28. Energy Efficiency208◆ 1.12×34 topics
  29. Engineering Education176▲ 10.0×6 topics
  30. Biosensors175▲ 1.72×12 topics
  31. Student Engagement162▲ 2.0×15 topics
  32. Thermal Management154▲ 2.3×8 topics
  33. Lifelong Learning130▲ 3.2×10 topics
  34. Large-Eddy Simulation127▲ 3.4×5 topics
  35. Assessment Methods114▲ 5.3×3 topics
  36. Professional Skills91▲ 14×2 topics
  37. Accreditation90▲ 17×1 topic
  38. Outcome-Based Education90▲ 17×1 topic
  39. Heat Stress87▲ 5.5×2 topics
  40. Driver Behavior84▲ 5.4×2 topics

Which research topics does Purdue University West Lafayette publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Earthquake Detection and Analysis, Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena, Seismic Waves and Analysis and Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics.

Earthquake Detection and…977Earthquake Detection and Analysis: 977 fractional worksMethane Hydrates and Related Phenomena: 502 fractional worksSeismic Waves and Analysis370Seismic Waves and Analysis: 370 fractional worksIonosphere and magnetosp…369Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics: 369 fractional worksGeophysics and Gravity M…346Geophysics and Gravity Measurements: 346 fractional worksEngineering Education and Curriculum Development: 90 fractional worksAdvanced Battery Technologies Research: 60 fractional worksAdvancements in Battery Materials: 58 fractional worksAnimal Nutrition and Physiology: 57 fractional worksHuman-Automation Interaction and Safety: 57 fractional works
GeophysicsEnvironmental ChemistryAstronomy and AstrophysicsOceanography5 others

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

  1. 1 Earthquake Detection and Analysis Geophysics 977 works
  2. 2 Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena Environmental Chemistry 502 works
  3. 3 Seismic Waves and Analysis Geophysics 370 works
  4. 4 Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 369 works
  5. 5 Geophysics and Gravity Measurements Oceanography 346 works
  6. 6 Engineering Education and Curriculum Development Media Technology 90 works
  7. 7 Advanced Battery Technologies Research Automotive Engineering 60 works
  8. 8 Advancements in Battery Materials Electrical and Electronic Engineering 58 works
  9. 9 Animal Nutrition and Physiology Animal Science and Zoology 57 works
  10. 10 Human-Automation Interaction and Safety Social Psychology 57 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 available31.5%not open68.5%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors11.7%domestic only88.3%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Purdue University West Lafayette's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 28% 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 West Lafayette

All research institutions in West Lafayette

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.