UNSW ranked in world's top ten universities for water resources

UNSW has been ranked in the top ten universities worldwide for water resources not once, but twice, in 2017.

In its inaugural subject rankings released in May, the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) rated UNSW 7th in the world for water resources. More recently, on 28 June, the influential ShanghaiRankings Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) placed UNSW 6th in the world for water resources and 1st in the Oceania region, cementing UNSW-GWI’s position as a global leader in this space.

We know that we are among the best in the world when it comes to water resources and we have both the exceptional minds and the top facilities to support this

Professor Mark Hoffman, Dean, UNSW Faculty of Engineering

Professor Mark Hoffman, Dean of the UNSW Faculty of Engineering, which hosts the Global Water Institute, is pleased that UNSW is receiving the recognition it deserves.

“We know that we are among the best in the world when it comes to water resources, and we have both the exceptional minds and the top facilities to support this,” said Prof Hoffman.

“It’s great to see the UNSW name up in lights for our achievements, and with the success of our new Global Water Institute, we are looking forward to rising even further through the ranks over the coming years.”

Both the CWUR and GRAS rankings consider the number of relevant journal papers published by a university as one of the key criteria when determining their rankings, while GRAS also notes the quality and impact of those publications, the academic accolades awarded to staff and the level of international collaboration on display.

“We pride ourselves on our excellent international outlook and collaborative approach, evidenced through such initiatives as our PLuS Alliance partnership with Kings College London and Arizona State University, which has a strong focus on sustainable water management,” said Prof Hoffman.

Water resources was UNSW’s highest ranked subject in the GRAS rankings, and UNSW-GWI’s vast water expertise extends across seven core capabilities including water resources and climate change; water and wastewater management; coastal and estuarine management; aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity; public health and social science; policy, governance, institutions and sustainability; and industry specialisations.

This holistic, interdisciplinary approach to solving the world’s water woes has attracted considerable interest from students at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels alike. In UNSW’s most recent graduation round, 23 students graduated with highly diverse PhDs in water related fields, adding to the existing group of highly respected world-leading experts at UNSW.

UNSW-GWI's Water Research Highlights

• Water Research Centre awarded six Future Fellowships from the Australian Research Council, awarded to outstanding mid-career researchers in areas of national importance
• Two PhD graduates awarded the Malcolm Chaikin Prize for Research Excellence (for the best PhD thesis in the UNSW Faculty of Engineering)
• Received numerous competitive research grants with the Australian Research Council, the World Health Organization, the Office of the Environment and Heritage in the discipline of Water Resources; looking at grand challenges in water resources engineering including extreme rainfall prediction, flood forecasting, ecohydrology and climate impacts on disease spread
• Extensive high-quality publications, especially those authored by PhD students