15 Best Research Universities In The World 2024

The world has been built as a product of intense research. Most of the world’s jaw-breaking discoveries and inventions have been birthed through painstaking moments of research coming from some of the best research universities around the world.

Almost everything we have today was created or stumbled upon during research. There would be no flavor in life if there were no inventions and innovations-Products of research.

Research which is said to be the study of a subject in detail, especially in order to discover new information or reach a new understanding, has left the world better than it found it.

In this article, I will show you the best research universities in the world and more you need to know about research.

Why Research?

Man has knowledge and abilities; the extent man has evolved and is still vigorously evolving makes one begin to wonder about man’s needs and desires. I remember a part of economics discussing that human wants are insatiable. As a result, our desires and wants increases day by day.

As our demands increase, the requirement of research also rises. Research, as a matter of fact, is what makes our lives easier. It is just the result of curiosity or a new innovative idea.

So research helps in the advancement and development of life and society.

As stated earlier, most mind-blogging innovations worldwide were research results from best research universities worldwide. Find here some of the best research universities in the world.

Top Research Universities in the World

1. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is indisputably one of the best research universities in the world. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) founded in 1861, is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

More Facts About MIT

As far back as 1939, research works had already begun at MIT during World War II and the Cold War. Researchers were already working on computers, radar, and inertial guidance.

As of March 2019, 93 Nobel laureates, 26 Turing Award winners, and 8 Fields Medalists have been affiliated with MIT as alumni, faculty members, or researchers. In addition, 58 National Medal of Science recipients, 29 National Medals of Technology and Innovation recipients, 50 73 Marshall Scholars, 45 Rhodes Scholars, 41 astronaut, and 16 Chief Scientists of the US Air Force have been affiliated with MIT.

The school also has a robust entrepreneurial culture, and the aggregated annual revenues of companies founded by MIT alumni ($1.9 trillion) would rank roughly as the tenth-largest economy in the world.

It has since a strong research culture and has as well played a key role in the development of many aspects of modern science, engineering, mathematics, and technology, and is widely known for its innovation and academic strength, making it one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world.

MIT has been described as home to one of the most powerful university-based nuclear reactors in the United States.

Official School Website

2. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES

 The University of California,  also known as (UCLA) is a public research university in Los Angeles. It was founded in the year 1919 in California.

The university comprises six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools.

More Facts About UCLA

This school is one of the top research universities in the world. A report filed by Best College Reviews says since the 2009-10 academic year, UCLA has spent an average of $1 billion in research funding.

This research school, being one of the best, has more than 350 research labs, centers, and institutes, 290 of these are medical centers.

Research at UCLA has made some of the world’s most significant discoveries, and interestingly, over 1,800 inventions have come from this research powerhouse. 

As of 2017, 24 Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, five Turing Award winners, and two Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force have been affiliated with UCLA as faculty, researchers, or alumni.

Official School Website

3. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Johns Hopkins University is one of the best research universities in the US. It was founded in 1876 as the first research university in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

This research university was named after its first benefactor, the American entrepreneur, abolitionist, and philanthropist Johns Hopkins.

More Facts About JHU

Having a mission statement which says “discovery—the creation of new knowledge through research and scholarship, and the education of our students, undergraduate and graduate alike, “the JHU offers many research opportunities to various students across the world regardless of racial boundaries.

Below are some of the research colleges for students at JHU:

The Henry A. Rowland Center for Astronomy and Physics,
The Silcio O. Conte Center, located at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC)

Official School Website

4. TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY

Texas A&M University is a top public research institution founded in 1876. With over 53,065 undergraduate students, the campus size, 5,200 acres, has its base in the city’s heart.

More Facts About ATM

The school, known for its milestone contributions in advancing life, is one of the best research schools to attend. The research school offers unique programs, including Texas’s only veterinary medicine school.

There are 13 research centers with over 1,700 employees, over 500 of which are doctoral-level scientists. These scientists are studying everything from plant diseases, animal parasites, grass and forage production, and the economical feeding of dairy and beef cattle. Researchers strive to maintain a traditional connection to farming and ranching, while developing crops with enhanced nutrition, discovering innovative renewable energy resources, and implementing new methods to improve air and water quality.

The school also has a Qatar-based campus, where about 500 students enroll. Notable alumni of Texas A&M include dozens of politicians, such as U.S. Reps. Joe Barton, Louie Gohmert, and a handful of beauty pageant winners, including Miss USA Kandace Krueger and Miss Louisiana USA Melissa McConnell.

Official School Website

5. CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California. Known for its natural science and engineering strength, Caltech is often ranked as one of the world’s best ten research institutions.

More Facts About CALTECH

Although founded as a preparatory and vocational school by Amos G. Throop in 1891, the college attracted influential scientists such as George Ellery HaleArthur Amos Noyes and Robert Andrews Millikan in the early 20th century. The university is among a small group of institutes of technology in the United States primarily devoted to the instruction of pure and applied sciences.

Caltech has six academic divisions with a strong emphasis on science and engineering. It has invested over $332 million in sponsored research since 2011.

Caltech has over 50 Research Institutes & Centres.

As of October 2018, Caltech alumni, faculty and researchers include 73 Nobel Laureates, 4 Fields Medalists, and 6 Turing Award winners.

In addition, 53 non-emeritus faculty members (as well as many emeritus faculty members) have been elected to one of the United States National Academies, 4 Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force and 71 have won the United States National Medal of Science or Technology. Numerous faculty members are associated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and NASA. 

A  study by Pomona College in 2015 revealed Caltech ranked number one in the U.S. for the percentage of its graduates earning a PhD.

Official School Website

6. STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Stanford university is one of the world’s best teaching universities leading in research across the globe.

The Leland Stanford Junior University was founded in 1885 by California Senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, in memory of their only child, Leland Jr., who died of typhoid fever at 15.

Stanford, dedicated to finding solutions to big challenges, has changed with the world over the last 125+ years, often leading the way with new ideas and discoveries.

Stanford is a renowned research hub, having many interdisciplinary research channels. New ideas emerge at the intersection of disciplines, and innovative research happens.

Stanford has over 18 independent labs, centers, and institutes, 20 libraries that engage faculty and students from across the university. Also, academic departments sponsor numerous other research centers and labs.

Stanford University research has impressive statistics. Research faculty includes 2,118 members, 21 Nobel laureates, and 4 Pulitzer Prize winners. The university has a $1.6 billion annual research budget, over 5,300 sponsored projects, and 5.4 million jobs created by Stanford entrepreneurs since the 1930s.

Standford has, over the years, built a culture of collaboration that drives innovative discoveries vital to our world, health, and intellectual life.

Official School Website

7. YALE UNIVERSITY

Yale is committed to improving the world today and for future generations through outstanding research and scholarship, education, preservation, and practice.

Yale, one of the world’s best research institutions, is home to several renowned research centers, laboratories, and institutes pushing the boundaries of knowledge on topics ranging from autism to globalization.

Since its founding in 1701, Yale has been dedicated to expanding and sharing knowledge, inspiring innovation, and preserving cultural and scientific information for future generations. Yale’s reach is both local and international.

Discover all the ways Yale scholars are advancing the fields of humanities, arts, social sciences, medicine, science, and engineering.

Official School Website

8. EMORY UNIVERSITY

Emory University is one of the world’s best research schools. Its mission is to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.

Emory University founded in 1836, is one of the nation’s leading research universities, building on an uncommon combination of campus-based resources and global partnerships. Its base is in Atlanta, Georgia.

The school has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,937, its setting is a city, and the campus size is 630 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Emory University’s ranking in the 2019 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 21.

Students pursue doctoral research in more than 40 specialties. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center brings together the research-based at the university’s schools of medicine, nursing, and public health and at Yerkes National Primate Research Center with the expertise of Emory Healthcare.

The university operates the Winship Cancer Institute, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and many disease and vaccine research centers. Emory University is the leading coordinator of the U.S. Health Department’s National Ebola Training and Education Center. 

The university is one of four institutions involved in the NIAID’sTuberculosis Research Units Program. The International Association of National Public Health Institutes is headquartered at the university. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society are national affiliate institutions adjacent to the campus. The university is partnered with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Carter Center.

Emory University research is funded primarily by federal government agencies. The institution has garnered over $734 Million in Funding.

In the fiscal year 2018, Emory experts received $685.5 million in health sciences research funding awards and $440.8 million in federal research funding awards, led by the National Institutes of Health with $359.2 million.

In 1995 Emory University was elected to the Association of American Universities, an association of the 62 leading research universities in the United States & Canada.

Official School Website

9. GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Important discoveries often take place at the intersection of disciplines. Georgia Tech’s research enterprise encourages the multidisciplinary collaboration that makes these advances possible.

Georgia Tech consistently ranks among the top U.S. universities in the volume of research conducted, and in 2017, we conducted $824 million in research.

As one of the best research schools, it also moving research solutions out into the world through commercialization and technology transfer, creating an innovation ecosystem to benefit stakeholders ranging from students to startup companies.

Official School Website

10. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university based in Evanston, Illinois, United States, with other campuses located in Chicago and situated in Doha, Qatar. It has been noted as one of the best research colleges to attend in the USA.

Northwestern University has an annual budget of $2 billion and sponsors more than $500 million research.

There are over 17,000 students at Northwestern, 2,500 full-time faculty, and 90 school-based research centers. Northwestern’s vision is for research to be interdisciplinary, with people from different disciplines working together instead of being divided into other disciplines with scholars working in isolation.

Undergraduates can apply for the exciting and singular Circumnavigators Travel Study Grant, where a student is selected to receive a $9,000 stipend to spend the summer traveling the world, researching a topic of their choice. There are numerous other opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research during the summer or academic year.

Official School Website

11. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Among the best100 research schools to attend worldwide, MSU boasts number 1-ranked graduate programs, innovative research centers and an international community of scientists and scholars.

It has invested over $616M in funding research and has over 100 research institutes and centers.

Aimed at a huge global impact, MSU recruits more than 100 new faculty researchers in critical areas where the university can make the most impact, including precision medicine, advanced physical sciences, and big data.

In science and Technology, spartan researchers are leading the way to discoveries every day—from tackling rare genetic disorders to developing autonomous vehicle technology to fighting global water pathogens.

In health and medicine, Spartans are making a difference to individuals and communities near and far by bringing new approaches, discoveries and treatments to bear on community, human and animal health.

The challenges facing our environment are staggering. See how Spartans work around the clock and around the globe in areas such as food and water, energy, wildlife, and agriculture to find solutions.

See these and more in the school’s official website below.

Official School Website

12. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

The University of Washington was founded in 1861, and is one of the oldest universities on the west coast and is home to one of the most highly regarded medical schools in the world. It has also been as one of the best research schools.

Undergraduates at the University of Washington have the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Program (URP), which works to ensure that all students who desire to participate in research will have the chance.

Faculty at URP are dedicated to working students to incorporate research into their academic program, work with faculty to develop and publicize new research opportunities, assists students in accessing research opportunities, providing instruction on research methodologies, etiquette, and ethics, and creating opportunities to make student research public.

Official School Website

13. DUKE UNIVERSITY

Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, Duke University is among the best research schools known to man.

Duke University, regarded as one of the top research universities in the world, has an Undergraduate Research Support Office, which provides grants and scholarships for research projects, travel, and multiple research opportunities.

More than 30 research facilities are conducting ongoing research, including the Duke Cancer Institute, the Duke Center for Human Genetics, the Duke Translational Medicine Institute, the Duke Center for AIDS Research, and the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.

A student-run science journal is also published at Duke, which features articles from the undergraduate, graduate, and professional school communities. Duke Science Review published its first issue in Spring 2013.

Official School Website

14. BROWN UNIVERSITY

Brown is a top research university, home to world-renowned faculty and an innovative educational institution where curiosity and creativity are their way of life.

Undergraduates at Brown University can apply for Karen T. Romer Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards, which support Brown students collaborating with faculty on research and teaching projects.

Named for the dean who launched the program in the 1980’s, UTRA’s provide students with valuable academic research experience.

Not only does Brown University provide excellent research opportunities for undergraduates, an impressive list of research centers and institutions are affiliated with Brown University.

These include the Center for Biomedical Engineering, the Center for Computational Molecular Biology, the Center for Computation and Visualization, the Center for Environmental Health and Technology, the Center for Environmental Studies, The Center for Genomics and Proteomics, the Institute for Brain Science, and the International Health Institute.

Official School Website

15. PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Purdue University is a world-renowned public research university that advances scientific, technological, engineering, and math discoveries.  It is among the world’s most notable and best research schools.

Purdue University is home to Discovery Park, a place dedicated to learning, discovery, collaboration, and connection.

Faculty, staff, and students from disciplines across the university and institutions around the world work together to conduct research at this state of the art facility.

The Bindley Bioscience Center, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Cyber Center, and Oncological Sciences Center and many other research centers are located at Discovery Park.

In addition to this amazing facility, undergraduates may publish their research in the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, a journal run by students through a partnership between Purdue University Press and other departments of Purdue.

With these exceptional opportunities available, it is not surprising that over 30 percent of Purdue undergraduates have at least one research experience while attending.

Official School Website

Conclusion

Get on top of your career learning from the best brains in your field. Research, as has been said, creates the world and makes it a better place. Enrolling into any of the best research schools listed above for research works and study will place on the high lane to prominence in your field.

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References

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