Ecology, agronomy, biotech... Muse topics in the top 100 of the Shanghai ranking
The 2021 Shanghai thematic ranking places Montpellier University in the world's top 100 in ten disciplinary fields, most of which are related to Muse themes. For the fifth consecutive year, UM has confirmed its place among the leaders in ecology and has made significant progress in the fields of remote sensing and food science and technology.
© Abbie Tayler Smith – Greenpeace
Both controversial and eagerly awaited, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, published annually by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was released on May 27. The University of Montpellier appears 10 times in the top 100 and 20 times in the top 200. This progress confirms its excellence in the subjects covered by the I-site Muse, foremost among which is ecology. Ranked third in the world in this field, UM has retained its place on the podium for the fifth consecutive year, behind Oxford, which remains in first place, and the University of Minnesota, which has taken second place from the University of California Davis, a privileged partner of UM.
"We are delighted to remain among the world leaders in ecology, "says Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier. "This is further proof of the openness of our researchers, Professors laboratories to society's expectations and to the major challenges of climate and ecology." " Agricultural sciences also confirmed their position, rising from 42nd to 23rd place in two years. This rise was partly driven by the close cooperation initiated in 2017 within the Muse consortium with Wageningen University, which remains the world leader in this sector. The third pleasant surprise is biotechnology, which ranks 34th in this global ranking.
Fifth place in France
Still within the Muse themes, water sciences also feature in the top 100. This is a significant improvement for this field, which has moved from a ranking in the "101-150" group in 2019 to the "51-75" group in 2021. "The UM is now among the top three French universities in the field of water resources, alongside Grenoble-Alpes University and Toulouse-Paul Sabatier University, "comments Eric Servat, director ofIM2E andIcireward, the brand new UNESCO international center dedicated to water. This progress highlights the high quality of the work produced by Montpellier's water science teams. It is further recognition and confirmation of Montpellier's position as an international stronghold in a sector that will face crucial challenges in the coming decades. "
This "51-75" group also includes geography and oceanography, which were already present in 2020, but also, for the first time, food science and technology and remote sensing. Matthieu Ferry, Professor Géosciences Montpellier, welcomes this result: "With the rise of remote sensing data and the development of artificial intelligence, the earth, water, and environmental science laboratories at UM are developing new approaches to protecting resources and populations in the face of climatic and geological hazards. This high ranking is a testament to that." Earth sciences are ranked in the "76-100" group, as are veterinary sciences. With ten citations in the top 100, UM ranks fifth in France behind Paris-Saclay (cited 25 times), Sorbonne University (19 times), Grenoble Alpes University (18 times), and Paris Sciences et Lettres (15 times).
Muse: a strong collective dynamic
This is also an excellent result for biology and human biology, clinical medicine, and statistics, which are ranked in the "100-150" group in this global ranking. Finally, mathematics, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials engineering, environmental engineering, energy sciences, and pharmacy appear in the top 200. "Our results in this ranking should be interpreted as further proof of the strength of our scientific capabilities and the effectiveness of the synergy brought about by Muse. Together with all our partners, we have created a real collective dynamic, a common identity that allows the UM to shine internationally," says Philippe Augé, before concluding: "Muse must also be used to support, through its various calls for projects, initiatives led by other communities."
Controversial ranking criteria
Published annually since 2003 by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects is a ranking of the world's leading universities compiled by researchers at this Chinese university. Since 2009, there has also been a thematic ranking by discipline. Six criteria are used to establish this ranking: the number of Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals won by alumni and researchers, the number of researchers most cited in their disciplines over the last ten years, the number of articles published in Nature and Science over the last five years, the number of articles indexed in the Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index, and finally academic performance relative to the size of the institution. These criteria are regularly questioned as being biased in favor of large Anglo-Saxon universities. The relevance of these criteria for evaluating the social sciences is also frequently raised.