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Research facility · Tokyo · Japan

United Nations University

In research, United Nations University stands highest in Social Sciences (#7,579 of 16,945 worldwide), Social Sciences (#4,981 of 10,206 worldwide) and Physical Sciences (#15,677 of 21,541 worldwide), over all time.

unu.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#21,394
of 28,054 · #21,969 all time
Rank in Japan
#644
of 1,070
Research works
462
▼ 59% vs 2013–17
Citations
9k
19.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
22.3%
record average 16.5%
Open access
16%
world 28%

What is United Nations University known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Social SciencesDomain #7,579 of 16,945 30.0%230
Social SciencesField #4,981 of 10,206 30.1%158
Physical SciencesDomain #15,677 of 21,541 20.7%176

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 world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

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: 0.30× its world share, 1 worksAgricultural and Bio…Neuroscience: 0.57× its world share, 1 worksNeuroscienceComputer Science: 2.57× its world share, 16 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.26× its world share, 0 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.01× its world share, 1 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.48× its world share, 6 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.03× its world share, 4 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 3.06× its world share, 3 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.56× its world share, 3 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 0.69× its world share, 2 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.17× its world share, 3 worksMedicineArts and Humanities: 0.57× its world share, 1 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.68× its world share, 4 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 6.27× its world share, 5 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 5.84× its world share, 10 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.21× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.01× its world share, 21 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

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

Who are the top researchers at United Nations University?

Ranked on the composite score, Srikantha Herath, Jean‐Marc Coicaud and Tshilidzi Marwala lead among researchers whose main affiliation is United Nations University.

  1. 1 Srikantha Herath Japan · #548,929 worldwide 133 citations · 35 works
  2. 2 Jean‐Marc Coicaud Japan · #1,066,979 worldwide 14 citations · 15 works
  3. 3 Tshilidzi Marwala Japan · #1,521,629 worldwide 4 citations · 34 works
All ranked researchers at United Nations University

Which keywords describe research at United Nations University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Machine Learning, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Fairness, Surveillance, Algorithmic Bias and Transparency.

▲ 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 Learning14▲ 5.2×18 topics
  2. Big Data11▲ 15×9 topics
  3. Artificial Intelligence9▲ 8.0×5 topics
  4. Deep Learning7▲ 2.5×20 topics
  5. Sustainability6▲ 3.2×18 topics
  6. Ethics6▲ 14×3 topics
  7. Fairness6▲ 78×2 topics
  8. Surveillance5▲ 24×2 topics
  9. Algorithmic Bias5▲ 93×1 topic
  10. Transparency5▲ 52×1 topic
  11. Healthcare5▲ 5.5×6 topics
  12. Globalization5▲ 3.0×10 topics
  13. Climate Change4▲ 1.85×14 topics
  14. International Law3▲ 13×4 topics
  15. Economic Growth3▲ 4.5×9 topics
  16. Precision Medicine3▲ 7.7×2 topics
  17. Risk Management3▲ 7.2×7 topics
  18. Regulation3▲ 6.4×4 topics
  19. Security3▲ 5.0×6 topics
  20. Enforcement3▲ 114×2 topics
  21. Medical Imaging2▲ 5.9×3 topics
  22. Norms2▲ 72×2 topics
  23. Clinical Decision Support2▲ 20×1 topic
  24. Decision Making2▲ 8.7×2 topics
  25. Ethical Challenges2▲ 14×1 topic
  26. Modeling2▲ 10×2 topics
  27. IoT Security2▲ 7.6×3 topics
  28. Complex Systems2▲ 22×2 topics
  29. Game Theory2▲ 14×5 topics
  30. Political Economy2▲ 8.9×7 topics
  31. Natural Language Processing2▲ 9.2×2 topics
  32. Soft Systems Methodology2▲ 85×1 topic
  33. System Dynamics2▲ 37×1 topic
  34. Content Analysis2▲ 16×2 topics
  35. Cybersecurity2▲ 8.5×2 topics
  36. International Trade2▲ 14×2 topics
  37. Liquidity2▲ 27×3 topics
  38. Security Council2▲ 39×2 topics
  39. Topic Modeling2▲ 14×2 topics
  40. Contracts2▲ 112×1 topic

Which research topics does United Nations University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Ethics and Social Impacts of AI, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education, Complex Systems and Decision Making and Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems.

Ethics and Social Impact…5Ethics and Social Impacts of AI: 5 fractional worksArtificial Intelligence …2Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education: 2 fractional worksComplex Systems and Deci…2Complex Systems and Decision Making: 2 fractional worksLaw, Economics, and Judicial Systems: 2 fractional worksComputational and Text Analysis Methods: 1 fractional worksGlobal trade and economics: 1 fractional worksRisk Management in Financial Firms: 1 fractional worksGlobal Peace and Security Dynamics: 1 fractional worksBlockchain Technology Applications and Security: 1 fractional worksAI-based Problem Solving and Planning: 1 fractional works
Safety ResearchHealth InformaticsManagement Science and Operations ResearchEconomics and Econometrics6 others

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

  1. 1 Ethics and Social Impacts of AI Safety Research 5 works
  2. 2 Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education Health Informatics 2 works
  3. 3 Complex Systems and Decision Making Management Science and Operations Research 2 works
  4. 4 Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems Economics and Econometrics 2 works
  5. 5 Computational and Text Analysis Methods General Social Sciences 1 works
  6. 6 Global trade and economics General Economics, Econometrics and Finance 1 works
  7. 7 Risk Management in Financial Firms Accounting 1 works
  8. 8 Global Peace and Security Dynamics Political Science and International Relations 1 works
  9. 9 Blockchain Technology Applications and Security Information Systems 1 works
  10. 10 AI-based Problem Solving and Planning Artificial Intelligence 1 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 available15.9%not open84.1%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors28.7%domestic only71.3%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has United Nations University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 59% 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 Tokyo

All research institutions in Tokyo

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.