08DISCOVER FEATUREThe QS survey confirms that research activities in UBD has increased significantly over the years both in terms of research output and research impact. Recent research publications in international peer reviewed journals rose by 43 percent, from 706 to 1,010 and the number of QS normalised citations, which measures research impact, also increased by 71 percent. The university’s latest Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) is 1.38, which shows UBD had 38 percent more citations in 2017 than the global average. UBD is now considered a “High Research Intensive” university internationally.Research in UBD covers areas that are relevant to Brunei Darussalam. It conducts applied research that is not only high in academic value but also high in economic and social impact. These include studies on green energy, herbal and medicinal plants, and pharmacology.UBD continues to focus on high quality academic research which is aligned with the national vision, Wawasan 2035 that not only has high academic value but also has economic and social impact, and applied relevance. Among the indicators used to assess university performance covering Academic Reputation, Research, Teaching and Internationalisation, UBD’s strongest performance indicators are “International Faculty” where it ranked 51 globally, “Faculty Student Ratio” ranked 61 in the world, and “International Students” where it is ranked 214. These are significant improvements compared to the previous year. These indicators of teaching and learning show that UBD is fulfilling its vision and mission, continuing to provide the highest quality, state-of-the-art education for its students.University ranking exercises heavily favour older and larger institutions, making UBD’s rise even more remarkable. In the QS Top 50 Under 50 world rankings, UBD rose up three places to 34 this year. Since its publication in 2012, the QS Top 50 Under 50 highlights some of the world’s fastest rising young universities. For young universities, UBD is now ranked 16th in Asia and 6th in ASEAN. Among small universities based on QS World University Rankings, UBD is ranked 16th in the world, 5th in Asia and number 1 in ASEAN.UBD Rises Up QS World University Rankings, Top 50 Under 50Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) achieved another major milestone. It leapt up the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by a substantial 26 places. It now places at 323 in the world. Breaking into the QS World University Rankings for the first time last year in the top 1.3 percent of all universities globally, UBD continues to show remarkable progress for a young 33-year old university. UBD ranks high in Outbound Students. In addition to going overseas to study and participating in internship, students are also actively involved in educational exchange programmes to further their cultural and academic exposure. Photo: Courtesy of Siti Nurzaimah Nazhirah Haji Zaim
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