Question 1

Which countries lead Environmental Engineering research?

Accepted Answer

On research quality in 2022-now, China, the United States and the United Kingdom rank highest in Environmental Engineering. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (41k and 13k works in 2022-now).

Question 2

Which institutions lead Environmental Engineering research?

Accepted Answer

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Environmental Engineering on research quality in 2022-now, followed by Tsinghua University and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Question 3

Who are the leading researchers in Environmental Engineering?

Accepted Answer

Counting only their work in Environmental Engineering, Derek R. Lovley, Bruce E. Logan and M. Santamouris have the most papers in the world top 10% for their subfield and year beyond the 10% expected.

Question 4

Where is Environmental Engineering research done?

Accepted Answer

The largest centres of Environmental Engineering research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Nanjing (China), Shanghai (China) and Wuhan (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Kirkkonummi.

Question 5

Where is the best place to study Environmental Engineering?

Accepted Answer

Among universities, judged by research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and ETH Zurich score highest, combining standing in the field's ranking, excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

Question 6

Is Environmental Engineering research growing?

Accepted Answer

Output in 2022-2025 was 33% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability, Microbial Applications in Construction Materials and Environmental and Air Quality Management.

Question 7

What are the most cited papers in Environmental Engineering?

Accepted Answer

The most cited paper in Environmental Engineering is "A Closed‐form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils" (Martinus Th. van Genuchten, 1980), with 27,905 citations. Next come "River flow forecasting through conceptual models part I — A discussion of principles" (24,392) and "Comparing the Areas under Two or More Correlated Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves: A Nonparametric Approach" (23,031).