2018 Research Leaders: Leading institutions in Earth & environmental sciences

The 2018 Research Leaders are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017.

Table criteria

Position Institution Share 2016 Share 2017 Count 2017 Change in Adjusted Share* 2016–2017
1 University of Toronto (U of T), Canada 31.93 33.62 85 10.1% Increase
2 University of Alberta (U of A), Canada 28.95 28.66 66 3.5% Increase
3 Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Canada 20.82 21.99 58 10.5% Increase
4 McGill University, Canada 28.04 18.47 64 -31.1% Decrease
5 The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada 19.83 14.76 53 -22.1% Decrease
6 University of Calgary (U of C), Canada 11.23 13.85 31 29.0% Increase
7 Dalhousie University, Canada 7.92 12.43 33 64.1% Increase
8 University of Waterloo, Canada 7.43 10.15 30 42.8% Increase
9 University of Victoria (UVic), Canada 4.57 9.64 34 120.7% Increase
10 Western University (UWO), Canada 10.74 8.49 24 -17.3% Decrease
11 University of Saskatchewan (U of S), Canada 14.44 7.83 30 -43.3% Decrease
12 Natural Resources Canada, Canada 7.11 7.37 26 8.5% Increase
13 University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada 8.41 6.97 26 -13.4% Decrease
14 Polytechnique Montréal, Canada 5.25 6.06 7 20.8% Increase
15 Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Canada 3.56 4.60 12 35.1% Increase
16 Carleton University, Canada 1.47 4.34 14 208.5% Increase
17 University of Guelph, Canada 2.83 4.06 16 50.3% Increase
18 Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada 4.43 4.00 16 -5.6% Decrease
19 Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada 2.98 3.81 24 33.6% Increase
20 University of Montreal (UdeM), Canada 4.14 3.28 21 -17.1% Decrease
21 University of Manitoba, Canada 1.19 3.23 11 184.8% Increase
22 Queen's University, Canada 4.84 3.14 8 -32.1% Decrease
23 McMaster University, Canada 3.94 3.13 7 -16.9% Decrease
24 Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Canada 3.91 2.41 10 -35.5% Decrease
25 Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Canada 1.32 2.27 8 80.1% Increase
26 National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS), Canada 2.64 2.10 14 -16.9% Decrease
27 Health Canada (HC-SC), Canada 0.51 1.92 5 292.2% Increase
28 Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), Canada 0.38 1.89 7 425.9% Increase
29 Laval University (UL), Canada 2.45 1.88 17 -20.0% Decrease
30 York University, Canada 1.32 1.70 16 34.5% Increase
31 University of New Brunswick (UNB), Canada 2.36 1.60 10 -28.9% Decrease
32 National Research Council (NRC), Canada 0.14 1.32 5 867.6% Increase
33 Concordia University, Canada 2.54 1.25 12 -48.6% Decrease
34 University of Regina, Canada 0.94 1.04 3 15.4% Increase
35 University of Sherbrooke (USherbrooke), Canada 0.82 1.00 3 28.5% Increase
36 University of Lethbridge, Canada 0.95 0.89 3 -1.9% Decrease
37 Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Canada 1.98 0.80 15 -57.7% Decrease
38 Stantec Inc., Canada 0.20 0.79 3 314.1% Increase
39 Wellington Laboratories Inc., Canada 0.00 0.67 3 0.0% Increase
40 Government of Northwest Territories, Canada 0.13 0.65 4 446.7% Increase
41 Lakehead University, Canada 1.99 0.65 2 -65.8% Decrease
42 Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), Canada 0.54 0.58 12 13.4% Increase
43 Canadian Light Source Inc., Canada 0.34 0.58 2 78.0% Increase
44 G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, Canada 0.20 0.57 2 197.2% Increase
45 Contango Strategies Limited, Canada 0.00 0.50 1 0.0% Increase
45 Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), Canada 0.00 0.50 1 0.0% Increase
46 University of Winnipeg, Canada 0.00 0.46 3 0.0% Increase
47 Québec Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, Canada 0.00 0.43 2 0.0% Increase
48 University of Quebec, Canada 0.06 0.41 2 556.5% Increase
49 Laurentian University, Canada 2.26 0.40 3 -81.3% Decrease
50 Bishop's University, Canada 0.03 0.40 1 1,573.7% Increase
51 Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), Canada 0.28 0.38 2 41.2% Increase
52 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Canada 0.85 0.36 1 -56.0% Decrease
53 Trent University, Canada 3.53 0.35 3 -89.7% Decrease
54 Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST), Canada 0.00 0.33 1 0.0% Increase
54 FPInnovations, Canada 0.00 0.33 1 0.0% Increase
54 Calgary Water Resources, Canada 0.00 0.33 1 0.0% Increase
55 Feedlot Health Management Services, Ltd., Canada 0.00 0.29 1 0.0% Increase
56 Brock University, Canada 0.43 0.26 4 -35.6% Decrease
57 Montreal Technical Expertise Division, Canada 0.00 0.25 1 0.0% Increase
57 Montreal Water Infrastructure Department Direction, Canada 0.00 0.25 1 0.0% Increase
57 Nexen, Canada 0.00 0.25 1 0.0% Increase
57 Teledyne Optech, Inc., Canada 0.00 0.25 1 0.0% Increase
58 University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Canada 0.21 0.23 3 11.4% Increase
59 Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), Canada 0.09 0.23 2 160.3% Increase
60 MacEwan University, Canada 0.23 0.23 3 4.4% Increase
61 Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Canada 0.00 0.21 1 0.0% Increase
62 Halifax Water, Canada 0.00 0.20 1 0.0% Increase
63 Acadia University, Canada 0.13 0.19 3 61.4% Increase
64 Gouvernement du Québec, Canada 0.06 0.18 3 190.4% Increase
65 Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Canada 0.00 0.17 1 0.0% Increase
65 Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture, Canada 0.00 0.17 1 0.0% Increase
66 University of Windsor (UWin), Canada 1.81 0.14 1 -91.7% Decrease
66 Advanced Mineral Technology Laboratory Ltd. (AMTEL), Canada 0.00 0.14 1 0.0% Increase
67 Brandon University (BU), Canada 0.14 0.13 1 -8.5% Decrease
67 Anaergia Inc., Canada 0.40 0.13 1 -67.3% Decrease
67 World Water and Climate Foundation (WWCF), Canada 0.00 0.13 1 0.0% Increase
67 Ottawa Ottawa Fire Services, Canada 0.00 0.13 1 0.0% Increase
68 Assiniboine Park Conservancy, Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Government of Nunavut, Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC), Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Fort Richmond Collegiate (FRC), Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Higdon Wildlife Consulting, Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Canada 0.29 0.11 1 -59.3% Decrease
68 Sander Geophysics Limited (SGL), Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Scimitar Scientific, Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
68 Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), Canada 0.00 0.11 1 0.0% Increase
69 HD Analytical Solutions, Canada 0.00 0.10 1 0.0% Increase
70 Consorminex Minerals Inc., Canada 0.00 0.09 1 0.0% Increase
70 Global Forest Watch Canada (GFWC), Canada 0.00 0.09 1 0.0% Increase
71 Isotope Tracer Technologies Inc. (IT2), Canada 0.00 0.09 2 0.0% Increase
72 Teck Resources Limited, Canada 0.00 0.08 1 0.0% Increase
72 Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd., Canada 0.00 0.08 1 0.0% Increase
73 BC Hydro and Power Authority, Canada 0.08 0.07 1 -1.9% Decrease
73 British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource, Canada 0.12 0.07 1 -39.3% Decrease
73 British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Canada 0.08 0.07 1 -1.9% Decrease
74 Yukon Geoglogical Survey, Canada 0.00 0.07 1 0.0% Increase
74 Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), Canada 0.00 0.07 1 0.0% Increase
74 Athabasca University, Canada 0.38 0.07 1 -81.8% Decrease
75 Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), Canada 0.08 0.07 3 -11.0% Decrease

Footnote

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

  1. The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences and health sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
  2. The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 145 natural-science and health-science journals. The journals were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields. The list is reviewed periodically and journals may be removed or added. Articles from eLife were no longer included in the Nature Index from 2023 after the journal changed its publishing model.
  3. Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
  4. Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.
  5. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen research leaders.