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University · Orlando · United States

University of Central Florida

In research, University of Central Florida stands highest in Business, Management and Accounting (#24 of 2,578 worldwide), Social Sciences (#170 of 10,521 worldwide) and Psychology (#61 of 2,181 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Public Administration, Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes and Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality — Public Administration is 5.8× its share of world research.

ucf.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#419
of 28,054 · #342 all time
Rank in United States
#85
of 4,192
Research works
46k
▲ 24% vs 2013–17
Citations
1M
22.7 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
19.1%
record average 16.5%
Open access
68%
world 28%

What is University of Central Florida 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
Business, Management and AccountingField #24 of 2,578 34.3%209 #23
Social SciencesDomain #170 of 10,521 25.9%2,047 #182
PsychologyField #61 of 2,181 20.2%472 #236
Physical SciencesDomain #398 of 12,888 17.7%3,624 #278
Social SciencesField #244 of 6,365 28.9%1,002 #203
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #105 of 2,578 34.0%386 #150
Computer ScienceField #199 of 4,667 24.0%794 #200
EngineeringField #326 of 6,636 17.6%1,626 #221
Health SciencesDomain #605 of 11,982 14.1%1,451 #751
MedicineField #928 of 10,443 12.4%1,140 #1242

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where University of Central Florida 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. Business, Management and Accounting#23 #24
  2. Social Sciences#182 #170
  3. Psychology#236 #61
  4. Physical Sciences#278 #398
  5. Social Sciences#203 #244
  6. Sociology and Political Science#150 #105
  7. Computer Science#200 #199
  8. Engineering#221 #326
  9. Health Sciences#751 #605
  10. Medicine#1,242 #928
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 Central Florida specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Public Administration takes 5.8× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Public AdministrationSubfield · 24.2 works5.8×
  2. Fluid Flow and Transfer ProcessesSubfield · 34.2 works5.8×
  3. Safety, Risk, Reliability and QualitySubfield · 74.9 works4.1×
  4. Human-Computer InteractionSubfield · 63.6 works4.0×
  5. Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsSubfield · 218.0 works4.0×
← 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: 0.25× its world share, 92 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.67× its world share, 274 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.64× its world share, 49 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.08× its world share, 134 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.29× its world share, 8 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.84× its world share, 49 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.65× its world share, 78 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.33× its world share, 794 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.66× its world share, 80 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.79× its world share, 56 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.41× its world share, 1,626 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.58× its world share, 223 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.88× its world share, 237 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.26× its world share, 114 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 2.15× its world share, 367 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.34× its world share, 12 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.36× its world share, 274 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.77× its world share, 1,140 worksMedicineNursing: 0.57× its world share, 21 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.23× its world share, 2 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.64× its world share, 142 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.84× its world share, 209 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.39× its world share, 103 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.72× its world share, 119 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 2.02× its world share, 472 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.03× its world share, 1,002 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 2.1×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at University of Central Florida?

Ranked on the composite score, Mubarak Shah, Eduardo Salas and Robert C. Ford lead among researchers whose main affiliation is University of Central Florida.

  1. 1 Mubarak Shah United States · #856 worldwide 4.9k citations · 184 works
  2. 2 Eduardo Salas United States · #2,757 worldwide 2.3k citations · 142 works
  3. 3 Robert C. Ford United States · #3,783 worldwide 3.7k citations · 62 works
  4. 4 David J. Hagan United States · #4,055 worldwide 2.1k citations · 133 works
  5. 5 Eric W. Van Stryland United States · #6,374 worldwide 2.2k citations · 154 works
  6. 6 Demetrios N. Christodoulides United States · #11,847 worldwide 2.4k citations · 203 works
  7. 7 Boqing Gong United States · #12,560 worldwide 1.4k citations · 50 works
  8. 8 Guo-Jun Qi United States · #13,329 worldwide 1.3k citations · 98 works
  9. 9 Michael Bass United States · #13,411 worldwide 739 citations · 91 works
  10. 10 Erik Reinhard United States · #22,654 worldwide 744 citations · 40 works
All ranked researchers at University of Central Florida

Which keywords describe research at University of Central Florida?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Nonlinear Optics, Mental Health, Heat Transfer, Epidemiology, Neural Networks and Driver Behavior.

▲ 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. Deep Learning390▲ 1.48×77 topics
  2. Machine Learning301▲ 1.20×81 topics
  3. Epidemiology279◆ 0.92×126 topics
  4. Mental Health190▲ 1.69×39 topics
  5. Neural Networks187▲ 1.58×37 topics
  6. Sustainability158▼ 0.84×66 topics
  7. Risk Factors140▲ 1.66×36 topics
  8. Public Health135▲ 1.21×52 topics
  9. Social Media132▲ 1.21×30 topics
  10. Heat Transfer127▲ 3.3×17 topics
  11. Nonlinear Optics107▲ 13×4 topics
  12. Biosensors101▲ 2.6×12 topics
  13. Student Engagement82▲ 2.6×14 topics
  14. Driver Behavior74▲ 12×2 topics
  15. Chemical Kinetics72▲ 11×2 topics
  16. Optical Modulators72▲ 6.4×3 topics
  17. Fiber Lasers72▲ 9.6×3 topics
  18. Microresonators66▲ 11×3 topics
  19. Intelligent Transportation Systems66▲ 5.9×4 topics
  20. Raman Lasers63▲ 7.2×2 topics
  21. Integrated Circuits62▲ 5.2×3 topics
  22. Large-Eddy Simulation61▲ 4.2×5 topics
  23. COVID-19 Impact60▲ 4.7×6 topics
  24. Microwave Photonics60▲ 8.9×2 topics
  25. Traffic Flow60▲ 7.4×2 topics
  26. Microcavities57▲ 6.6×2 topics
  27. Combustion Instabilities55▲ 12×2 topics
  28. Silicon Photonics54▲ 6.5×2 topics
  29. Spatial Analysis54▲ 7.7×5 topics
  30. Optical Frequency Combs53▲ 13×1 topic
  31. Ultrafast Lasers53▲ 13×1 topic
  32. Nanophotonic Waveguides52▲ 6.9×1 topic
  33. Whispering Gallery Mode52▲ 6.9×1 topic
  34. Injury Severity50▲ 8.1×2 topics
  35. Pedestrian Safety48▲ 14×2 topics
  36. Traffic Accidents48▲ 14×2 topics
  37. Crash Prediction Models48▲ 16×1 topic
  38. Road Safety48▲ 16×1 topic
  39. Detonation Propulsion44▲ 20×1 topic
  40. Pulse Detonation Engines44▲ 20×1 topic

Which research topics does University of Central Florida publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies, Photonic and Optical Devices, Traffic and Road Safety and Combustion and Detonation Processes.

Advanced Fiber Laser Tec…53Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies: 53 fractional worksPhotonic and Optical Dev…52Photonic and Optical Devices: 52 fractional worksTraffic and Road Safety: 48 fractional worksCombustion and Detonatio…44Combustion and Detonation Processes: 44 fractional worksCombustion and flame dyn…40Combustion and flame dynamics: 40 fractional worksDiverse Aspects of Tourism Research: 36 fractional worksVirtual Reality Applications and Impacts: 34 fractional worksAdvanced Combustion Engi…32Advanced Combustion Engine Technologies: 32 fractional worksTraffic Prediction and Management Techniques: 32 fractional worksTraffic control and management: 28 fractional works
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and OpticsElectrical and Electronic EngineeringSafety, Risk, Reliability and QualityAerospace Engineering6 others

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

  1. 1 Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 53 works
  2. 2 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 52 works
  3. 3 Traffic and Road Safety Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality 48 works
  4. 4 Combustion and Detonation Processes Aerospace Engineering 44 works
  5. 5 Combustion and flame dynamics Computational Mechanics 40 works
  6. 6 Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research Sociology and Political Science 36 works
  7. 7 Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts Human-Computer Interaction 34 works
  8. 8 Advanced Combustion Engine Technologies Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes 32 works
  9. 9 Traffic Prediction and Management Techniques Building and Construction 32 works
  10. 10 Traffic control and management Control and Systems Engineering 28 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 available67.6%not open32.4%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors14.4%domestic only85.6%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has University of Central Florida's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 24% 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 Orlando

All research institutions in Orlando

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.