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Subfield · Engineering

Civil and Structural Engineering research

Civil and Structural Engineering is a subfield of Engineering. Science Explorer counts 1.1M research works in it since 1950. 17.5% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: engineering discipline specializing in design, construction and maintenance of the built environment.

Research works
1.1M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
187k
per year above
Top-10% rate
17.5%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
42
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+46%
the tick is no change

What is Civil and Structural Engineering research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Mechanical Properties, Recycled Materials, Environmental Impact, Liquefaction, Tunnel, Reinforced Concrete. Gaining share since 2009–13: Digital Technologies, Road Construction, Soil Properties, Infrastructure, Fiber Reinforced Concrete. Losing share: Material Properties, Finite Element Method, Footbridges, Vibration Serviceability.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Mechanical Properties28k▲ 1.27×3 topics
  2. Recycled Materials26k▲ 1.56×2 topics
  3. Environmental Impact25k▲ 1.71×4 topics
  4. Liquefaction22k▼ 0.78×2 topics
  5. Tunnel22k▼ 0.78×2 topics
  6. Reinforced Concrete21k◆ 0.98×2 topics
  7. Cementitious Materials19k▲ 1.65×1 topic
  8. Geopolymer19k▲ 1.65×1 topic
  9. Fiber Reinforced Concrete18k▲ 1.94×1 topic
  10. Ultra-High Performance Concrete18k▲ 1.94×1 topic
  11. Vibration-based Damage Identification16k▼ 0.81×1 topic
  12. Wireless Sensors16k▼ 0.81×1 topic
  13. Deep Learning15k▲ 1.80×1 topic
  14. Pavement15k▲ 1.80×1 topic
  15. Analysis15k▼ 0.86×1 topic
  16. Seismic15k▼ 0.86×1 topic
  17. Fiber Reinforcement15k◆ 1.05×2 topics
  18. Geotechnical Engineering14k▲ 1.82×3 topics
  19. Dynamic Behavior14k▼ 0.78×2 topics
  20. Chloride-induced13k◆ 1.06×1 topic
  21. Corrosion13k◆ 1.06×1 topic
  22. Road Construction12k▲ 3.3×1 topic
  23. Soil Properties12k▲ 3.3×1 topic
  24. Structural Engineering12k▼ 0.79×2 topics
  25. Numerical Simulation12k▼ 0.53×2 topics
  26. Digital Technologies12k▲ 6.0×2 topics
  27. Concrete-Filled Steel Tubes11k▼ 0.78×1 topic
  28. High-Strength Materials11k▼ 0.78×1 topic
  29. Geosynthetics11k◆ 1.06×1 topic
  30. Soil Reinforcement11k◆ 1.06×1 topic
  31. Infrastructure11k▲ 2.6×3 topics
  32. Modal Analysis10k▼ 0.52×2 topics
  33. Footbridges9,379▼ 0.50×1 topic
  34. Vibration Serviceability9,379▼ 0.50×1 topic
  35. Ground Motion9,376◆ 1.08×1 topic
  36. Seismic Engineering9,376◆ 1.08×1 topic
  37. Finite Element Method9,233▼ 0.47×2 topics
  38. Soil Hydraulic Properties9,200◆ 0.89×1 topic
  39. Unsaturated Soil Mechanics9,200◆ 0.89×1 topic
  40. Material Properties9,149▼ 0.41×3 topics

Which countries lead Civil and Structural Engineering research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Civil and Structural Engineering. By volume, China and India publish the most (85k and 19k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 20.2% top 10% · 85k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 13.0% top 10% · 17k works
  3. 3 India · #6 all time 11.9% top 10% · 19k works
  4. 4 Australia · #4 all time 25.1% top 10% · 3.8k works
  5. 5 Italy · #5 all time 17.2% top 10% · 6.6k works
  6. 6 United Kingdom · #3 all time 18.3% top 10% · 5.4k works
  7. 7 Iran · #11 all time 16.4% top 10% · 5.8k works
  8. 8 Hong Kong · #13 all time 36.8% top 10% · 1.9k works
  9. 9 Türkiye · #14 all time 13.4% top 10% · 5.5k works
  10. 10 Egypt · #26 all time 16.6% top 10% · 2.7k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 73 countries ranked in Civil and Structural Engineering. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Civil and Structural Engineering

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 85k works
  2. 2 India 19k works
  3. 3 Indonesia 18k works
  4. 4 United States 17k works
  5. 5 Japan 6.8k works
  6. 6 Italy 6.6k works
  7. 7 Iran 5.8k works
  8. 8 Germany 5.6k works
  9. 9 Türkiye 5.5k works
  10. 10 United Kingdom 5.4k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 48.7%India: 10.8%Indonesia: 10.3%United States: 9.8%6 others listed: 20.4%49%largest
China85k · 48.7%India19k · 10.8%Indonesia18k · 10.3%United States17k · 9.8%6 others listed36k · 20.4%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Civil and Structural Engineering research?

Tongji University (China) ranks first in Civil and Structural Engineering on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Southeast University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Tongji University China · Shanghai · #1 all time 23.6% top 10% · 3k works
  2. 2 Southeast University China · Nanjing · #3 all time 28.9% top 10% · 2.1k works
  3. 3 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong · Hong Kong · #2 all time 38.4% top 10% · 1.1k works
  4. 4 Harbin Institute of Technology China · Harbin · #4 all time 26.7% top 10% · 1.4k works
  5. 5 Central South University China · Changsha · #15 all time 26.0% top 10% · 1.5k works
  6. 6 Chang'an University China · Xi'an · #24 all time 24.7% top 10% · 1.4k works
  7. 7 Chongqing University China · Chongqing · #20 all time 25.5% top 10% · 1.2k works
  8. 8 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou · #25 all time 23.5% top 10% · 1.1k works
  9. 9 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #13 all time 26.0% top 10% · 1k works
  10. 10 Dalian University of Technology China · Dalian · #10 all time 22.8% top 10% · 1.2k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 896 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Civil and Structural Engineering.

Top 100 Civil and Structural Engineering institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Tongji UniversityChina 3k works
  2. 2 Southeast UniversityChina 2.1k works
  3. 3 Central South UniversityChina 1.5k works
  4. 4 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 1.4k works
  5. 5 Chang'an UniversityChina 1.4k works
  6. 6 Hohai UniversityChina 1.3k works
  7. 7 Beijing University of TechnologyChina 1.2k works
  8. 8 Southwest Jiaotong UniversityChina 1.2k works
  9. 9 Chongqing UniversityChina 1.2k works
  10. 10 Dalian University of TechnologyChina 1.2k works

Who are the leading researchers in Civil and Structural Engineering?

Among the most productive authors in Civil and Structural Engineering, Ole Sigmund, O. C. Zienkiewicz and John L. Provis rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Ole Sigmund Denmark · #1,557 worldwide 2.9k citations · 137 works
  2. 2 O. C. Zienkiewicz United Kingdom · #3,271 worldwide 1.8k citations · 111 works
  3. 3 John L. Provis United Kingdom · #3,378 worldwide 2.8k citations · 93 works
  4. 4 Karen Scrivener Switzerland · #3,382 worldwide 2.4k citations · 110 works
  5. 5 H. Saunders United States · #3,436 worldwide 1.6k citations · 70 works
  6. 6 Billie F. Spencer United States · #3,486 worldwide 1.9k citations · 124 works
  7. 7 Charles R. Farrar United States · #4,119 worldwide 1.8k citations · 106 works
  8. 8 Hojjat Adeli United States · #5,814 worldwide 1.4k citations · 121 works
  9. 9 Bryant Mather ?? · #6,012 worldwide 1.2k citations · 64 works
  10. 10 Victor C. Li United States · #6,376 worldwide 3k citations · 194 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,613 highest-output authors in Civil and Structural Engineering. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Civil and Structural Engineering researchers

Where is Civil and Structural Engineering research done?

The largest centres of Civil and Structural Engineering research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Nanjing (China), Shanghai (China) and Xi'an (China).

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 13k works
  2. 2 Nanjing China 6.2k works
  3. 3 Shanghai China 6.1k works
  4. 4 Xi'an China 4.9k works
  5. 5 Wuhan China 4.5k works
  6. 6 Changsha China 3.4k works
  7. 7 Chengdu China 3k works
  8. 8 Chongqing China 2.7k works
  9. 9 Guangzhou China 2.7k works
  10. 10 Harbin China 2.5k works
See Civil and Structural Engineering on the map

Civil and Structural Engineering research by country

The best places for Civil and Structural Engineering research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Civil and Structural Engineering?

Among universities, judged by research, Tongji University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Chang'an University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 28.14%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Tongji University: 3,024, 23.6%Hong Kong Polytechnic University: 1,052, 38.4%Chang'an University: 1,401, 24.7%Southeast University: 2,074, 28.9%Hohai University: 1,278, 19.8%RMIT University: 231, 38.5%Changsha University of Science and Technology: 660, 23.9%University of Guilan: 170, 34.8%National Institute of Technology Patna: 242, 24.2%Beijing University of Technology: 1,223, 24.6%Hong Kong Polytechni…Southeast UniversityChang'an UniversityTongji University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Tongji UniversityChina 67.623.6%9.7×3,024 -6.9%
2 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong 67.638.4%5.0×1,052 +15.1%
3 Chang'an UniversityChina 64.724.7%15.3×1,401 +5.4%
4 Southeast UniversityChina 63.528.9%6.4×2,074 +34.7%
5 Hohai UniversityChina 58.219.8%9.6×1,278 -15.3%
6 RMIT UniversityAustralia 57.738.5%2.7×231 +126.7%
7 Changsha University of Science and TechnologyChina 56.023.9%10.9×660 -40.2%
8 University of GuilanIran 56.034.8%5.4×170 +146.3%
9 National Institute of Technology PatnaIndia 55.824.2%6.9×242 +1480.0%
10 Beijing University of TechnologyChina 54.724.6%7.1×1,223 -11.9%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Civil and Structural Engineering research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 46% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Geotechnical and construction materials studies, Innovative concrete reinforcement materials and Concrete and Cement Materials Research.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Geotechnical and construction materials studies+578%
  2. Innovative concrete reinforcement materials+280%
  3. Concrete and Cement Materials Research+220%
  4. Infrastructure Maintenance and Monitoring+176%
  5. Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies+175%
  6. Seismic Performance and Analysis+118%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Civil and Structural Engineering include?

Structural Health Monito…74kStructural Health Monitoring Techniques: 74k fractional worksGeotechnical Engineering…58kGeotechnical Engineering and Underground Structures: 58k fractional worksConcrete and Cement Materials Research: 58k fractional worksInnovative concrete reinforcement materials: 48k fractional worksStructural Engineering and Vibration Analysis: 47k fractional worksStructural Load-Bearing …47kStructural Load-Bearing Analysis: 47k fractional worksConcrete Corrosion and Durability: 44k fractional worksInfrastructure Maintenance and Monitoring: 43k fractional worksSoil and Unsaturated Flow42kSoil and Unsaturated Flow: 42k fractional worksEngineering Applied Research: 39k fractional worksGeotechnical Engineering and Soil Stabilization: 37k fractional worksStructural Analysis and Optimization: 35k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.