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Research facility · Didcot · United Kingdom

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

In research, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#1,254 of 12,888 worldwide), Physics and Astronomy (#508 of 1,646 worldwide) and Engineering (#2,838 of 6,636 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Radiation, Condensed Matter Physics and Nuclear and High Energy Physics — Radiation is 34.4× its share of world research.

ukri.org/who-we-are/stfc/facilities/rutherford-appleton-laboratoryROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#2,112
of 28,054 · #531 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#85
of 1,094
Research works
11k
◆ 0% vs 2013–17
Citations
282k
26.3 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
17.4%
record average 16.5%
Open access
33%
world 28%

What is Rutherford Appleton 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 #1,254 of 12,888 16.8%670 #364
Physics and AstronomyField #508 of 1,646 19.4%198 #181
EngineeringField #2,838 of 6,636 18.5%155 #755
Materials ScienceField #1,209 of 2,468 12.5%145 #564
Materials ChemistrySubfield #1,089 of 1,556 15.2%84 #570
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringSubfield #1,727 of 2,318 15.8%68 #724
ChemistryField #1,018 of 1,330 11.6%66 #785

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Rutherford Appleton 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#364 #1,254
  2. Physics and Astronomy#181 #508
  3. Engineering#755 #2,838
  4. Materials Science#564 #1,209
  5. Materials Chemistry#570 #1,089
  6. Electrical and Electronic Engineering#724 #1,727
  7. Chemistry#785 #1,018
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 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Radiation takes 34.4× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. RadiationSubfield · 35.4 works34×
  2. Condensed Matter PhysicsSubfield · 36.5 works30×
  3. Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsSubfield · 49.2 works21×
  4. Electronic, Optical and Magnetic MaterialsSubfield · 41.6 works12×
  5. Physics and AstronomyField · 197.6 works12×
← 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: 0.16× its world share, 6 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.93× its world share, 37 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.32× its world share, 2 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.14× its world share, 2 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.78× its world share, 2 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 6.36× its world share, 17 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 5.61× its world share, 66 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.47× its world share, 27 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2.63× its world share, 31 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.03× its world share, 7 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.38× its world share, 155 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.50× its world share, 19 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 5.55× its world share, 145 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.73× its world share, 6 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 11.88× its world share, 198 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.11× its world share, 16 worksMedicineNursing: 0.15× its world share, 1 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.18× its world share, 4 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.05× its world share, 1 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.46× its world share, 3 worksDecision SciencesPsychology: 0.02× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.03× its world share, 3 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 11.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory?

Ranked on the composite score, P. J. Bell, L. Bugge and G. A. Chelkov lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

  1. 1 P. J. Bell United Kingdom · #221 worldwide 5.4k citations · 144 works
  2. 2 L. Bugge United Kingdom · #258 worldwide 4.6k citations · 149 works
  3. 3 G. A. Chelkov United Kingdom · #314 worldwide 5.5k citations · 170 works
  4. 4 T. Ekelöf United Kingdom · #352 worldwide 5k citations · 167 works
  5. 5 F. J. Wickens United Kingdom · #379 worldwide 5.9k citations · 232 works
  6. 6 A. Cattai United Kingdom · #418 worldwide 4.6k citations · 150 works
  7. 7 I. Bloch United Kingdom · #558 worldwide 4.6k citations · 141 works
  8. 8 T. Greenshaw United Kingdom · #852 worldwide 4.2k citations · 133 works
  9. 9 J. A. Wilson United Kingdom · #969 worldwide 4.5k citations · 95 works
  10. 10 T. Barillari United Kingdom · #994 worldwide 4.8k citations · 165 works
All ranked researchers at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Which keywords describe research at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Superconductivity, Tomography, Crystal Growth, Catalysis, Electronic Structure, Spin Dynamics, Small-Angle Scattering and Molecular Dynamics.

▲ 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. Superconductivity52▲ 41×9 topics
  2. Tomography36▲ 26×4 topics
  3. Nanoparticles32▲ 3.4×36 topics
  4. Catalysis31▲ 6.2×23 topics
  5. Crystal Growth28▲ 13×12 topics
  6. Electronic Structure27▲ 20×8 topics
  7. Spin Dynamics25▲ 78×2 topics
  8. Small-Angle Scattering24▲ 58×2 topics
  9. Molecular Dynamics24▲ 19×6 topics
  10. Data Analysis22▲ 11×4 topics
  11. Radiography21▲ 76×2 topics
  12. Neutron Activation Analysis21▲ 78×1 topic
  13. Neutron Imaging21▲ 78×1 topic
  14. Topological Order20▲ 55×2 topics
  15. Crystal Structure19▲ 19×6 topics
  16. Frustrated Magnets19▲ 94×1 topic
  17. Quantum Spin Liquids19▲ 94×1 topic
  18. Nanostructures18▲ 5.8×16 topics
  19. Ferroelectricity17▲ 25×4 topics
  20. Self-Assembly16▲ 6.4×11 topics
  21. Ionic Liquids15▲ 7.3×10 topics
  22. Metal-Insulator Transition15▲ 31×2 topics
  23. CMOS Technology15▲ 25×5 topics
  24. Phase Separation14▲ 22×2 topics
  25. Magnetocaloric Materials14▲ 58×1 topic
  26. Perovskites14▲ 58×1 topic
  27. Spectroscopy14▲ 11×10 topics
  28. Dark Matter14▲ 16×4 topics
  29. Room Temperature14▲ 11×3 topics
  30. Plate Tectonics13▲ 12×3 topics
  31. Radiation Detection13▲ 39×2 topics
  32. Detector Performance13▲ 55×2 topics
  33. X-ray Imaging13▲ 50×2 topics
  34. Photon Counting13▲ 25×3 topics
  35. Particle Physics13▲ 23×2 topics
  36. Crystal Structure Prediction12▲ 35×1 topic
  37. Mantle Dynamics12▲ 35×1 topic
  38. Electronic Structure Calculations12▲ 24×2 topics
  39. Perovskite Oxides12▲ 23×2 topics
  40. Hydrogen Bonding11▲ 17×5 topics

Which research topics does Rutherford Appleton Laboratory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Nuclear Physics and Applications, Advanced Condensed Matter Physics, Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials and High-pressure geophysics and materials.

Nuclear Physics and Applications: 21 fractional worksAdvanced Condensed Matter Physics: 19 fractional worksMagnetic and transport p…14Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials: 14 fractional worksHigh-pressure geophysics…12High-pressure geophysics and materials: 12 fractional worksRadiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies: 11 fractional worksParticle Detector Development and Performance: 11 fractional worksParticle physics theoret…10Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies: 10 fractional worksLaser-Plasma Interaction…9Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics: 9 fractional worksParticle accelerators an…8Particle accelerators and beam dynamics: 8 fractional worksPhysics of Superconducti…8Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism: 8 fractional works
RadiationCondensed Matter PhysicsElectronic, Optical and Magnetic MaterialsGeophysics2 others

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

  1. 1 Nuclear Physics and Applications Radiation 21 works
  2. 2 Advanced Condensed Matter Physics Condensed Matter Physics 19 works
  3. 3 Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials 14 works
  4. 4 High-pressure geophysics and materials Geophysics 12 works
  5. 5 Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies Radiation 11 works
  6. 6 Particle Detector Development and Performance Nuclear and High Energy Physics 11 works
  7. 7 Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies Nuclear and High Energy Physics 10 works
  8. 8 Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics Nuclear and High Energy Physics 9 works
  9. 9 Particle accelerators and beam dynamics Aerospace Engineering 8 works
  10. 10 Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism Condensed Matter Physics 8 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 available32.8%not open67.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors39.0%domestic only61.0%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Rutherford Appleton Laboratory'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 Didcot

All research institutions in Didcot

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.