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Funder · Santa Fe · United States

Santa Fe Institute

In research, Santa Fe Institute stands highest in Life Sciences (#702 of 6,403 worldwide), Social Sciences (#1,120 of 9,585 worldwide) and Physical Sciences (#1,877 of 10,670 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Statistical and Nonlinear Physics (Statistical and Nonlinear Physics is 17.9× its share of world research).

World rank, 2022-now
#1,282
of 22,385 · #799 all time
Rank in United States
#278
of 3,332
Research works
2.9k
▲ 39% vs 2018-21
Citations
227k
79.0 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
14.3%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.11×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
61%
world 40%
International
39%
world 18%

What is Santa Fe Institute known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Life SciencesDomain #702 of 6,403 13.1%107 #528
Social SciencesDomain #1,120 of 9,585 20.7%154 #583
Physical SciencesDomain #1,877 of 10,670 10.3%291 #1008
Social SciencesField #1,367 of 5,988 18.7%74 #635
EngineeringField #2,800 of 5,901 1.9%78 #1904
Physics and AstronomyField #876 of 1,417 13.4%62 #608

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Santa Fe Institute 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 average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022-now. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Life Sciences#528 #702
  2. Social Sciences#583 #1,120
  3. Physical Sciences#1,008 #1,877
  4. Social Sciences#635 #1,367
  5. Engineering#1,904 #2,800
  6. Physics and Astronomy#608 #876
all time2022-now, better2022-now, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

Which fields of science does Santa Fe Institute work in?

In 2022-now, 49% of research at Santa Fe Institute is in Physical Sciences, 26% in Social Sciences. Its largest fields are Engineering (12%), Social Sciences (12%), Physics and Astronomy (11%). It does 1.4× the world's share of Life Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 319 fractional works · 48.9% of its workEngineering: 81 fractional works · 12.4% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 21 fractional works · 3.2% of its workMechanics of Materials: 11 fractional works · 1.8% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 11 fractional works · 1.6% of its workMechanical Engineering: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workAerospace Engineering: 8 fractional works · 1.2% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 5 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputational Mechanics: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 70 fractional works · 10.7% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 37 fractional works · 5.6% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 12 fractional works · 1.8% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 10 fractional works · 1.5% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 5 fractional works · 0.7% of its workRadiation: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workComputer Science: 49 fractional works · 7.5% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 20 fractional works · 3.0% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 11 fractional works · 1.6% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 4 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSignal Processing: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workInformation Systems: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnvironmental Science: 43 fractional works · 6.6% of its workEcology: 14 fractional works · 2.1% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 11 fractional works · 1.6% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 4 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEcological Modeling: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPollution: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMaterials Science: 24 fractional works · 3.7% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 13 fractional works · 2.0% of its workGeneral Materials Science: 4 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPolymers and Plastics: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMathematics: 18 fractional works · 2.8% of its workModeling and Simulation: 7 fractional works · 1.0% of its workMathematical Physics: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workStatistics and Probability: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workApplied Mathematics: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGeometry and Topology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 18 fractional works · 2.8% of its workAtmospheric Science: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workGeophysics: 5 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPaleontology: 5 fractional works · 0.7% of its workOceanography: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workChemistry: 11 fractional works · 1.7% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSpectroscopy: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPhysical and Theoretical Chemistry: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnergy: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemical Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBioengineering: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 169 fractional works · 25.9% of its workSocial Sciences: 81 fractional works · 12.4% of its workSociology and Political Science: 40 fractional works · 6.1% of its workSafety Research: 8 fractional works · 1.2% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workDemography: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCultural Studies: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGender Studies: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workTransportation: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAnthropology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEducation: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLaw: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 27 fractional works · 4.1% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 23 fractional works · 3.5% of its workFinance: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPsychology: 24 fractional works · 3.7% of its workSocial Psychology: 10 fractional works · 1.5% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workClinical Psychology: 4 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDecision Sciences: 16 fractional works · 2.5% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 9 fractional works · 1.3% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 13 fractional works · 2.0% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workReligious studies: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workArcheology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMusic: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 8 fractional works · 1.2% of its workStrategy and Management: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAccounting: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLife Sciences: 126 fractional works · 19.3% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 69 fractional works · 10.6% of its workMolecular Biology: 37 fractional works · 5.6% of its workGenetics: 21 fractional works · 3.2% of its workBiophysics: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEndocrinology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCell Biology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workAging: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNeuroscience: 29 fractional works · 4.4% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 22 fractional works · 3.4% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 23 fractional works · 3.6% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 10 fractional works · 1.5% of its workPlant Science: 9 fractional works · 1.3% of its workInsect Science: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workImmunology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 38 fractional works · 5.8% of its workMedicine: 33 fractional works · 5.1% of its workInfectious Diseases: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workEpidemiology: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPhysiology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workNursing: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workVeterinary: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workALL ITS WORKSanta FeInstitute653fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences19%Physical Sciences49%Health Sciences6%Social Sciences26%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 25 fields, with their numbers
    1. Engineering8112.4%
    2. Physics and Astronomy7010.7%
    3. Computer Science497.5%
    4. Environmental Science436.6%
    5. Materials Science243.7%
    6. Mathematics182.8%
    7. Earth and Planetary Sciences182.8%
    8. Chemistry111.7%
    9. Energy20.3%
    10. Chemical Engineering20.3%
    1. Social Sciences8112.4%
    2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance274.1%
    3. Psychology243.7%
    4. Decision Sciences162.5%
    5. Arts and Humanities132.0%
    6. Business, Management and Accounting81.2%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6910.6%
    2. Neuroscience294.4%
    3. Agricultural and Biological Sciences233.6%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology40.6%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics10.1%
    1. Medicine335.1%
    2. Health Professions40.6%
    3. Nursing10.1%
    4. Veterinary00.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Santa Fe Institute specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics takes 17.9× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Statistical and Nonlinear PhysicsSubfield · 36.6 works18×
← 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: 0.75× its world share, 23 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.99× its world share, 69 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.61× its world share, 4 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 2.72× its world share, 29 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.38× its world share, 1 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.88× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.08× its world share, 11 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.96× its world share, 49 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.76× its world share, 18 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.36× its world share, 2 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.83× its world share, 81 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.33× its world share, 43 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.07× its world share, 24 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 2.36× its world share, 18 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 4.83× its world share, 70 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 0.23× its world share, 4 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.27× its world share, 33 worksMedicineNursing: 0.21× its world share, 1 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.21× its world share, 0 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.71× its world share, 13 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.37× its world share, 8 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 2.58× its world share, 16 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.91× its world share, 27 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.22× its world share, 24 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.98× its world share, 81 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 4.8×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 25 fields, with their numbers
  1. Physics and Astronomy4.83×70 works
  2. Neuroscience2.72×29 works
  3. Decision Sciences2.58×16 works
  4. Mathematics2.36×18 works
  5. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.99×69 works
  6. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.91×27 works
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.76×18 works
  8. Environmental Science1.33×43 works
  9. Psychology1.22×24 works
  10. Chemistry1.08×11 works
  11. Materials Science1.07×24 works
  12. Social Sciences0.98×81 works
  13. Computer Science0.96×49 works
  14. Chemical Engineering0.88×2 works
  15. Engineering0.83×81 works
  16. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.75×23 works
  17. Arts and Humanities0.71×13 works
  18. Immunology and Microbiology0.61×4 works
  19. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.38×1 works
  20. Business, Management and Accounting0.37×8 works
  21. Energy0.36×2 works
  22. Medicine0.27×33 works
  23. Health Professions0.23×4 works
  24. Nursing0.21×1 works
  25. Veterinary0.21×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Santa Fe Institute?

Ranked on the quality score, Samuel Bowles, Elhanan Borenstein and J. Doyne Farmer lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Santa Fe Institute.

  1. 1 Samuel Bowles United States · #17,028 worldwide 40k citations · 425 works
  2. 2 Elhanan Borenstein United States · #38,098 worldwide 14k citations · 221 works
  3. 3 J. Doyne Farmer United States · #50,350 worldwide 30k citations · 356 works
  4. 4 Jennifer A. Dunne United States · #52,326 worldwide 13k citations · 131 works
  5. 5 Michael Lachmann United States · #54,834 worldwide 19k citations · 134 works
  6. 6 Geoffrey B. West United States · #74,379 worldwide 41k citations · 294 works
  7. 7 Marcus John Hamilton United States · #78,385 worldwide 4.8k citations · 135 works
  8. 8 Cristopher Moore United States · #88,658 worldwide 23k citations · 346 works
  9. 9 Herbert M. Gintis United States · #94,455 worldwide 36k citations · 412 works
  10. 10 Melanie S. Mitchell United States · #110,111 worldwide 20k citations · 199 works
All ranked researchers at Santa Fe Institute

What are the most cited papers from Santa Fe Institute?

The most cited paper from Santa Fe Institute is "The Structure and Function of Complex Networks" (Michael E. Newman, 2003), with 18,932 citations. Next come "Community structure in social and biological networks" (15,819) and "No free lunch theorems for optimization" (14,318).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 The Structure and Function of Complex Networks Michael E. Newman · SIAM Review Open access 2003 18,932
2 Community structure in social and biological networks Michelle Girvan, Mark E. J. Newman · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open access 11 Jun 2002 15,819
3 No free lunch theorems for optimization David H. Wolpert, William G. Macready · IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation Apr 1997 14,318
4 Finding and evaluating community structure in networks Michelle Gayle Newman, Michelle Girvan · Physical Review E Open access 26 Feb 2004 14,307
5 TOWARD A METABOLIC THEORY OF ECOLOGY James H. Brown, James F. Gillooly, Andrew P. Allen et al. · Ecology Jul 2004 7,970
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Santa Fe Institute?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Network Dynamics, Social Influence, Altruism, Cooperation, Social Networks, Evolution, Cultural Evolution and Microbial Communities.

▲ 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-now 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 Change29▲ 1.61×61 topics
  2. Machine Learning26▲ 1.17×45 topics
  3. Network Dynamics24▲ 38×3 topics
  4. Social Influence21▲ 15×2 topics
  5. Altruism19▲ 34×4 topics
  6. Cooperation19▲ 44×4 topics
  7. Microbial Communities19▲ 6.5×5 topics
  8. Social Networks18▲ 10×6 topics
  9. Evolution18▲ 10×6 topics
  10. Cultural Evolution17▲ 52×2 topics
  11. Agent-Based Modeling16▲ 19×5 topics
  12. Natural Selection15▲ 42×3 topics
  13. Mutation14▲ 12×2 topics
  14. Adaptation14▲ 7.3×9 topics
  15. Evolutionary Games14▲ 107×1 topic
  16. Indirect Reciprocity14▲ 107×1 topic
  17. Population Genetics14▲ 15×5 topics
  18. Biodiversity14▲ 2.8×14 topics
  19. Network Analysis14▲ 18×3 topics
  20. Polarization13▲ 13×3 topics
  21. Experimental Evolution12▲ 79×1 topic
  22. Genetic Dynamics12▲ 79×1 topic
  23. Synchronization12▲ 15×4 topics
  24. Infectious Diseases11▲ 5.1×6 topics
  25. Metal Nanoparticles11▲ 10×4 topics
  26. Bounded Confidence10▲ 60×1 topic
  27. Community Structure10▲ 19×2 topics
  28. Invasive Species10▲ 3.8×12 topics
  29. Opinion Dynamics10▲ 60×1 topic
  30. Epidemic Spreading10▲ 35×1 topic
  31. Scale-Free Networks10▲ 35×1 topic
  32. Complex Systems9▲ 14×5 topics
  33. Modeling9▲ 5.6×3 topics
  34. Working Memory8▲ 14×2 topics
  35. Cortical Networks7▲ 20×1 topic
  36. Neuronal Oscillations7▲ 15×1 topic
  37. Phase Transitions7▲ 19×3 topics
  38. Fairness7▲ 10×2 topics
  39. Fractal Dimension7▲ 28×2 topics
  40. Spatial Patterns7▲ 11×2 topics

Which research topics does Santa Fe Institute publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation, Evolution and Genetic Dynamics, Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence and Complex Network Analysis Techniques.

  1. 1 Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation Sociology and Political Science 14 works
  2. 2 Evolution and Genetic Dynamics Genetics 12 works
  3. 3 Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence Statistical and Nonlinear Physics 10 works
  4. 4 Complex Network Analysis Techniques Statistical and Nonlinear Physics 10 works
  5. 5 Neural dynamics and brain function Cognitive Neuroscience 7 works
  6. 6 COVID-19 epidemiological studies Modeling and Simulation 6 works
  7. 7 Laser Design and Applications Electrical and Electronic Engineering 6 works
  8. 8 Plant and animal studies Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 5 works
  9. 9 Energetic Materials and Combustion Mechanics of Materials 5 works
  10. 10 Origins and Evolution of Life Astronomy and Astrophysics 5 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 available61.0%not open39.0%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

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

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Santa Fe Institute's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 39% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Santa Fe Institute as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0018% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%Santa Fe Institute0.0016% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Santa Fe Institute over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting20%40%Santa Fe Institute18.6% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 30.7% in 2002.

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Santa Fe Institute on Science Explorer

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