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University · Santa Barbara · United States

University of California, Santa Barbara

In research, University of California, Santa Barbara stands highest in Physical Sciences (#91 of 12,888 worldwide), Physics and Astronomy (#23 of 1,646 worldwide) and Social Sciences (#253 of 10,521 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Condensed Matter Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics and Physics and Astronomy — Condensed Matter Physics is 9.5× its share of world research.

ucsb.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#154
of 28,054 · #31 all time
Rank in United States
#46
of 4,192
Research works
72k
◆ 0% vs 2013–17
Citations
3.5M
48.5 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
23.4%
record average 16.5%
Open access
28%
world 28%

What is University of California, Santa Barbara 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 #91 of 12,888 23.5%3,656 #12
Physics and AstronomyField #23 of 1,646 29.8%612 #7
Social SciencesDomain #253 of 10,521 23.2%1,985 #60
Computer ScienceField #141 of 4,667 22.4%672 #61
Social SciencesField #252 of 6,365 25.7%989 #79
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield #25 of 565 26.5%229 #7
Environmental ScienceField #209 of 3,551 30.1%451 #31
Decision SciencesField #44 of 703 17.1%95 —
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #170 of 2,578 24.4%384 #69
EngineeringField #438 of 6,636 18.3%927 #50

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where University of California, Santa Barbara 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#12 #91
  2. Physics and Astronomy#7 #23
  3. Social Sciences#60 #253
  4. Computer Science#61 #141
  5. Social Sciences#79 #252
  6. Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics#7 #25
  7. Environmental Science#31 #209
  8. Sociology and Political Science#69 #170
  9. Engineering#50 #438
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 University of California, Santa Barbara specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Condensed Matter Physics takes 9.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Condensed Matter PhysicsSubfield · 99.4 works9.5×
  2. Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield · 228.8 works4.9×
  3. Physics and AstronomyField · 612.3 works4.2×
  4. History and Philosophy of ScienceSubfield · 40.1 works4.0×
  5. Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsSubfield · 77.7 works3.8×
← 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: 0.40× its world share, 124 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.76× its world share, 264 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.34× its world share, 22 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.93× its world share, 205 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.31× its world share, 7 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.20× its world share, 28 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.61× its world share, 166 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.32× its world share, 672 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2.55× its world share, 262 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.76× its world share, 46 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.94× its world share, 927 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.38× its world share, 451 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.57× its world share, 358 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.77× its world share, 136 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 4.20× its world share, 612 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.05× its world share, 2 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.32× its world share, 56 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.18× its world share, 222 worksMedicineNursing: 0.22× its world share, 7 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.19× its world share, 2 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.79× its world share, 339 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.48× its world share, 102 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.49× its world share, 95 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.17× its world share, 164 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.49× its world share, 298 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.19× its world share, 988 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

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

Who are the top researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara?

Ranked on the composite score, Richard E. Mayer, W. Kohn and Matthew P. A. Fisher lead among researchers whose main affiliation is University of California, Santa Barbara.

  1. 1 Richard E. Mayer United States · #706 worldwide 4.7k citations · 233 works
  2. 2 W. Kohn United States · #1,359 worldwide 15k citations · 81 works
  3. 3 Matthew P. A. Fisher United States · #1,531 worldwide 3.2k citations · 91 works
  4. 4 A.G. Evans United States · #1,647 worldwide 3.2k citations · 161 works
  5. 5 P.V. Kokotović United States · #1,691 worldwide 2.6k citations · 115 works
  6. 6 Christopher Kruegel United States · #2,771 worldwide 1.7k citations · 89 works
  7. 7 Giovanni Vigna United States · #3,168 worldwide 1.5k citations · 90 works
  8. 8 A. C. Gossard United States · #3,504 worldwide 4.2k citations · 306 works
  9. 9 Garrett Hardin United States · #4,171 worldwide 4.4k citations · 60 works
  10. 10 Ben Y. Zhao United States · #4,345 worldwide 1.5k citations · 74 works
All ranked researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara

Which keywords describe research at University of California, Santa Barbara?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Nanowires, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Integrated Circuits, Neural Networks, Band Parameters and Colonialism.

▲ 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. Climate Change352▲ 1.99×88 topics
  2. Deep Learning252◆ 1.12×78 topics
  3. Machine Learning246◆ 1.15×81 topics
  4. Globalization170▲ 1.32×101 topics
  5. Neural Networks166▲ 1.64×35 topics
  6. Sustainability137▼ 0.86×76 topics
  7. History107▲ 2.3×42 topics
  8. Colonialism101▲ 3.3×41 topics
  9. Biosensors98▲ 2.9×12 topics
  10. Identity97▲ 2.0×50 topics
  11. Nanowires91▲ 9.7×5 topics
  12. Gender88▲ 2.5×44 topics
  13. Integrated Circuits82▲ 8.0×3 topics
  14. Religion81▲ 2.6×31 topics
  15. Nationalism81▲ 2.7×29 topics
  16. Culture79▲ 2.3×27 topics
  17. Semiconductor77▲ 3.4×7 topics
  18. Global Warming73▲ 2.7×12 topics
  19. Semiconductors71▲ 3.5×5 topics
  20. Band Parameters70▲ 20×2 topics
  21. Feminism69▲ 3.8×23 topics
  22. Thin Films64▲ 5.1×9 topics
  23. Superconductivity61▲ 5.5×9 topics
  24. Optical Modulators59▲ 6.1×3 topics
  25. Microcavities57▲ 7.8×2 topics
  26. Raman Lasers56▲ 7.5×2 topics
  27. Silicon Photonics55▲ 7.8×2 topics
  28. Nanophotonic Waveguides54▲ 8.4×1 topic
  29. Whispering Gallery Mode54▲ 8.4×1 topic
  30. Field-Effect Transistors53▲ 5.0×4 topics
  31. Light-Emitting Diodes52▲ 5.1×3 topics
  32. Quantum Gravity51▲ 9.6×4 topics
  33. Ecosystem Resilience51▲ 5.3×5 topics
  34. Ocean Acidification49▲ 10×3 topics
  35. Black Holes48▲ 7.8×3 topics
  36. Photodetectors45▲ 8.4×2 topics
  37. GaN44▲ 19×2 topics
  38. Solid-State Lighting42▲ 8.3×2 topics
  39. AlGaN/GaN HEMTs41▲ 20×1 topic
  40. III-Nitrides41▲ 20×1 topic

Which research topics does University of California, Santa Barbara publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Photonic and Optical Devices, GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials, Black Holes and Theoretical Physics and Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies.

Photonic and Optical Dev…54Photonic and Optical Devices: 54 fractional worksGaN-based semiconductor …41GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials: 41 fractional worksBlack Holes and Theoretical Physics: 33 fractional worksAdvanced Fiber Laser Technologies: 30 fractional worksSemiconductor Quantum St…29Semiconductor Quantum Structures and Devices: 29 fractional worksGeological and Geochemical Analysis: 28 fractional worksGa2O3 and related materials: 27 fractional worksCosmology and Gravitatio…27Cosmology and Gravitation Theories: 27 fractional worksSemiconductor materials and devices: 26 fractional worksNatural Language Processing Techniques: 26 fractional works
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringCondensed Matter PhysicsNuclear and High Energy PhysicsAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics4 others

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

  1. 1 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 54 works
  2. 2 GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials Condensed Matter Physics 41 works
  3. 3 Black Holes and Theoretical Physics Nuclear and High Energy Physics 33 works
  4. 4 Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 30 works
  5. 5 Semiconductor Quantum Structures and Devices Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 29 works
  6. 6 Geological and Geochemical Analysis Geophysics 28 works
  7. 7 Ga2O3 and related materials Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials 27 works
  8. 8 Cosmology and Gravitation Theories Astronomy and Astrophysics 27 works
  9. 9 Semiconductor materials and devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 26 works
  10. 10 Natural Language Processing Techniques Artificial Intelligence 26 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 available28.0%not open72.0%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors15.1%domestic only84.9%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has University of California, Santa Barbara's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 0% 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 Santa Barbara

All research institutions in Santa Barbara

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.