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Research facility · Tokyo · Japan

United Nations University

In research, United Nations University stands highest in Social Sciences (#796 of 9,585 worldwide), Social Sciences (#764 of 5,988 worldwide) and Environmental Science (#435 of 3,334 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Global and Planetary Change, Safety Research and Water Science and Technology (Global and Planetary Change is 9.1× its share of world research).

unu.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#1,583
of 22,385 · #1,908 all time
Rank in Japan
#28
of 924
Research works
4.5k
▲ 12% vs 2018-21
Citations
139k
30.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
16.8%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.34×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
50%
world 40%
International
45%
world 18%
United Nations University

What is United Nations University 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
Social SciencesDomain #796 of 9,585 20.9%435 #751
Social SciencesField #764 of 5,988 21.9%252 #737
Environmental ScienceField #435 of 3,334 15.0%188 #835
Physical SciencesDomain #1,514 of 10,670 14.1%336 #2163
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #575 of 2,526 26.5%105 #606
Economics, Econometrics and FinanceField #456 of 1,798 18.2%84 #419
Economics and EconometricsSubfield #454 of 1,307 18.9%63 #397
EngineeringField #2,578 of 5,901 14.8%63 #3067
Life SciencesDomain #2,840 of 6,403 15.5%67 #2895
Health SciencesDomain #4,533 of 9,902 19.0%88 #4370

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where United Nations University 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. Social Sciences#751 #796
  2. Social Sciences#737 #764
  3. Environmental Science#835 #435
  4. Physical Sciences#2,163 #1,514
  5. Sociology and Political Science#606 #575
  6. Economics, Econometrics and Finance#419 #456
  7. Economics and Econometrics#397 #454
  8. Engineering#3,067 #2,578
  9. Life Sciences#2,895 #2,840
  10. Health Sciences#4,370 #4,533
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 United Nations University work in?

In 2022-now, 45% of research at United Nations University is in Social Sciences, 38% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (27%), Environmental Science (21%), Economics, Econometrics and Finance (8%). It does 1.8× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 496 fractional works · 44.5% of its workSocial Sciences: 296 fractional works · 26.6% of its workSociology and Political Science: 125 fractional works · 11.3% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 58 fractional works · 5.2% of its workSafety Research: 22 fractional works · 2.0% of its workEducation: 13 fractional works · 1.2% of its workUrban Studies: 12 fractional works · 1.1% of its workGender Studies: 11 fractional works · 1.0% of its workDevelopment: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workDemography: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workCommunication: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLaw: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workHealth: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAnthropology: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workTransportation: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGeneral Social Sciences: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workCultural Studies: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPublic Administration: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 91 fractional works · 8.1% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 69 fractional works · 6.2% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 12 fractional works · 1.1% of its workFinance: 10 fractional works · 0.9% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 60 fractional works · 5.4% of its workStrategy and Management: 20 fractional works · 1.8% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAccounting: 8 fractional works · 0.7% of its workManagement Information Systems: 7 fractional works · 0.6% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMarketing: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBusiness and International Management: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workPsychology: 20 fractional works · 1.8% of its workClinical Psychology: 11 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSocial Psychology: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDecision Sciences: 20 fractional works · 1.8% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 10 fractional works · 0.9% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workArts and Humanities: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPhysical Sciences: 421 fractional works · 37.8% of its workEnvironmental Science: 234 fractional works · 21.0% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 77 fractional works · 6.9% of its workWater Science and Technology: 26 fractional works · 2.3% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 26 fractional works · 2.3% of its workEcology: 24 fractional works · 2.1% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 20 fractional works · 1.8% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 19 fractional works · 1.7% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 17 fractional works · 1.6% of its workPollution: 16 fractional works · 1.4% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEngineering: 75 fractional works · 6.7% of its workOcean Engineering: 11 fractional works · 0.9% of its workMedia Technology: 10 fractional works · 0.9% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBuilding and Construction: 8 fractional works · 0.7% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.7% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMechanical Engineering: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAerospace Engineering: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputer Science: 51 fractional works · 4.6% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 20 fractional works · 1.8% of its workInformation Systems: 18 fractional works · 1.6% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 4 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 23 fractional works · 2.1% of its workAtmospheric Science: 13 fractional works · 1.1% of its workOceanography: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeochemistry and Petrology: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnergy: 11 fractional works · 1.0% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 10 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMaterials Science: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBiomaterials: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMathematics: 8 fractional works · 0.7% of its workModeling and Simulation: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workStatistics and Probability: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 6 fractional works · 0.5% of its workChemistry: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workChemical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 109 fractional works · 9.8% of its workMedicine: 61 fractional works · 5.5% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 15 fractional works · 1.3% of its workHealth Informatics: 7 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSurgery: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workInfectious Diseases: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEpidemiology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 3 fractional works · 0.2% of its workOncology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 17 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 38 fractional works · 3.4% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 29 fractional works · 2.6% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNursing: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workDentistry: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 88 fractional works · 7.9% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 64 fractional works · 5.8% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 16 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPlant Science: 15 fractional works · 1.4% of its workSoil Science: 12 fractional works · 1.1% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workFood Science: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 16 fractional works · 1.4% of its workMolecular Biology: 9 fractional works · 0.8% of its workGenetics: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNeuroscience: 5 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKUnited NationsUniversity1,114fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences8%Physical Sciences38%Health Sciences10%Social Sciences45%

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. Social Sciences29626.6%
    2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance918.1%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting605.4%
    4. Psychology201.8%
    5. Decision Sciences201.8%
    6. Arts and Humanities90.8%
    1. Environmental Science23421.0%
    2. Engineering756.7%
    3. Computer Science514.6%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences232.1%
    5. Energy111.0%
    6. Materials Science90.8%
    7. Mathematics80.7%
    8. Physics and Astronomy60.5%
    9. Chemistry30.3%
    10. Chemical Engineering10.1%
    1. Medicine615.5%
    2. Health Professions383.4%
    3. Nursing90.8%
    4. Dentistry10.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences645.8%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology161.4%
    3. Neuroscience50.4%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology20.2%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics10.1%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does United Nations University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Global and Planetary Change takes 9.1× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Global and Planetary ChangeSubfield · 76.9 works9.1×
  2. Safety ResearchSubfield · 22.0 works7.1×
  3. Water Science and TechnologySubfield · 26.0 works4.5×
  4. Environmental ScienceField · 233.8 works4.2×
← 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: 1.21× its world share, 64 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.27× its world share, 16 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.19× its world share, 2 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.27× its world share, 5 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.30× its world share, 1 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.19× its world share, 1 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.20× its world share, 4 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.59× its world share, 51 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.32× its world share, 23 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.09× its world share, 11 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.45× its world share, 75 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 4.22× its world share, 234 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.23× its world share, 9 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.60× its world share, 8 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.23× its world share, 6 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.20× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.31× its world share, 38 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.28× its world share, 61 worksMedicineNursing: 1.63× its world share, 9 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 0.29× its world share, 9 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.67× its world share, 60 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.85× its world share, 20 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 3.81× its world share, 91 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.59× its world share, 20 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.10× its world share, 296 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Environmental Science, 4.2×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 25 fields, with their numbers
  1. Environmental Science4.22×234 works
  2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance3.81×91 works
  3. Social Sciences2.10×296 works
  4. Decision Sciences1.85×20 works
  5. Business, Management and Accounting1.67×60 works
  6. Nursing1.63×9 works
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.32×23 works
  8. Health Professions1.31×38 works
  9. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1.21×64 works
  10. Energy1.09×11 works
  11. Mathematics0.60×8 works
  12. Computer Science0.59×51 works
  13. Psychology0.59×20 works
  14. Engineering0.45×75 works
  15. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.30×1 works
  16. Arts and Humanities0.29×9 works
  17. Medicine0.28×61 works
  18. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.27×16 works
  19. Neuroscience0.27×5 works
  20. Materials Science0.23×9 works
  21. Physics and Astronomy0.23×6 works
  22. Chemistry0.20×4 works
  23. Dentistry0.20×1 works
  24. Immunology and Microbiology0.19×2 works
  25. Chemical Engineering0.19×1 works

Who are the top researchers at United Nations University?

Ranked on the quality score, Christopher N.H. Doll, Fu-chen Lo and Tshilidzi Marwala lead among researchers whose main affiliation is United Nations University.

  1. 1 Christopher N.H. Doll Japan · #394,553 worldwide 3.2k citations · 38 works
  2. 2 Fu-chen Lo Japan · #1,618,924 worldwide 646 citations · 23 works
  3. 3 Tshilidzi Marwala Japan · #1,686,300 worldwide 446 citations · 48 works
  4. 4 Zinaida Fadeeva Japan · #1,770,762 worldwide 1.3k citations · 47 works
  5. 5 Raquel Moreno‐Peñaranda Japan · #1,867,057 worldwide 664 citations · 24 works
  6. 6 Soedjatmoko Japan · #3,176,947 worldwide 213 citations · 36 works
  7. 7 Libor Janský Japan · #4,836,244 worldwide 676 citations · 52 works
  8. 8 Kinhide Mushakōji Japan · #5,254,114 worldwide 58 citations · 41 works
All ranked researchers at United Nations University

What are the most cited papers from United Nations University?

The most cited paper from United Nations University is "A global reference for human genetic variation" (Corresponding authors et al., 2015), with 20,444 citations. Next come "Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health" (2,978) and "Regime shifts to sustainability through processes of niche formation: The approach of strategic niche management" (2,869).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 A global reference for human genetic variation Corresponding authors et al. · Nature Open access815 authors 29 Sep 2015 20,444
2 Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health Sarah Whitmee et al. · The Lancet Open access 16 Jul 2015 2,978
3 Regime shifts to sustainability through processes of niche formation: The approach of strategic niche management René Kemp, Johan Schot, Remco Hoogma · Technology Analysis and Strategic Management Open access 1998 2,869
4 Sustainable development goals for people and planet David Griggs, Mark Stafford‐Smith, Owen Gaffney et al. · Nature 19 Mar 2013 2,828
5 Pervasive human-driven decline of life on Earth points to the need for transformative change Sandra M. Díaz et al. · Science Open access 12 Dec 2019 2,746
All 59 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at United Nations University?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Sustainability, Vulnerability, Global Warming, Globalization, Economic Growth, Remote Sensing and Biodiversity Conservation.

▲ 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 Change178▲ 5.9×87 topics
  2. Sustainability111▲ 4.1×73 topics
  3. Globalization64▲ 2.9×72 topics
  4. Vulnerability60▲ 23×8 topics
  5. Environmental Impact51▲ 2.7×49 topics
  6. Remote Sensing49▲ 3.6×29 topics
  7. Economic Growth46▲ 5.1×25 topics
  8. Global Warming46▲ 9.6×14 topics
  9. Renewable Energy45▲ 2.8×27 topics
  10. Public Health39▲ 2.4×40 topics
  11. Big Data35▲ 3.3×17 topics
  12. Artificial Intelligence34▲ 2.1×20 topics
  13. Biodiversity Conservation34▲ 8.0×17 topics
  14. Urbanization34▲ 7.5×12 topics
  15. Social Capital33▲ 5.8×17 topics
  16. Economic Development33▲ 3.7×26 topics
  17. Adaptation32▲ 9.7×11 topics
  18. Resilience32▲ 5.8×12 topics
  19. Land Use Change28▲ 8.5×7 topics
  20. Governance28▲ 7.7×14 topics
  21. Hydrological Modeling27▲ 10×5 topics
  22. Climate Change Adaptation27▲ 13×4 topics
  23. Food Security26▲ 4.3×14 topics
  24. Water Resources26▲ 9.6×10 topics
  25. Ecosystem Services25▲ 5.8×13 topics
  26. Labor Market25▲ 7.9×14 topics
  27. Transparency25▲ 15×3 topics
  28. Risk Perception24▲ 8.0×6 topics
  29. Accountability23▲ 17×4 topics
  30. Resettlement23▲ 24×3 topics
  31. Social Networks22▲ 7.3×7 topics
  32. Social-Ecological Systems22▲ 14×3 topics
  33. Greenhouse Gas Emissions21▲ 6.9×8 topics
  34. Policy21▲ 8.8×10 topics
  35. Satellite Imagery20▲ 14×3 topics
  36. Sea-Level Rise20▲ 15×4 topics
  37. Trust20▲ 6.4×10 topics
  38. Poverty Reduction20▲ 14×4 topics
  39. Gender Inequality19▲ 12×6 topics
  40. Immigration19▲ 15×4 topics

Which research topics does United Nations University publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Flood Risk Assessment and Management, Disaster Management and Resilience, Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration and Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies.

Flood Risk Assessment an…17Flood Risk Assessment and Management: 17 fractional worksDisaster Management and …15Disaster Management and Resilience: 15 fractional worksClimate Change, Adaptation, Migration: 14 fractional worksWater-Energy-Food Nexus Studies: 13 fractional worksEthics and Social Impacts of AI: 12 fractional worksSustainability and Climate Change Governance: 12 fractional worksClimate Change and Health Impacts: 11 fractional worksClimate change impacts o…11Climate change impacts on agriculture: 11 fractional worksE-Government and Public Services: 10 fractional worksMigration and Labor Dynamics: 10 fractional works
Global and Planetary ChangeSociology and Political ScienceWater Science and TechnologySafety Research3 others

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

  1. 1 Flood Risk Assessment and Management Global and Planetary Change 17 works
  2. 2 Disaster Management and Resilience Sociology and Political Science 15 works
  3. 3 Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration Sociology and Political Science 14 works
  4. 4 Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies Water Science and Technology 13 works
  5. 5 Ethics and Social Impacts of AI Safety Research 12 works
  6. 6 Sustainability and Climate Change Governance Global and Planetary Change 12 works
  7. 7 Climate Change and Health Impacts Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis 11 works
  8. 8 Climate change impacts on agriculture Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 11 works
  9. 9 E-Government and Public Services Political Science and International Relations 10 works
  10. 10 Migration and Labor Dynamics Sociology and Political Science 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 available49.7%not open50.3%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors44.7%domestic only55.3%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has United Nations University's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 12% 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 United Nations University as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0052% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%United Nations University0.0039% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of United Nations University 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 counting10%20%30%United Nations University19.3% 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 29.7% in 1994.

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United Nations University on Science Explorer

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Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where United Nations University is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

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Domains

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