UT Among Top 1% of Most Influential Research Institutions in Molecular Biology, Genetics

The new Reuters Web of Science list of the world's most influential research institutions has placed the University of Tartu in the top 1 percent in the fields of molecular biology and genetics.

"The University of Tartu has systematically developed its molecular biology department since the 1970s. We have expanded our research activities to Tallinn and more and more of our methods and topics have made use of in other fields of research. Development has been vast and successful," said Toivo Maimets, director of the university's molecular and cell biology institute.

In the last 25 years, University of Tartu researchers have released 26 articles (39 from Estonia in all), 20 of them have been published since 2010, in major academic journals as nature and Nature Genetics, according to the university's Genome Center director, Andres Metspalu. "Those sources get cited more often, so it's quite natural for UT to make top 1% in molecular biology and genetics, which in itsself is a very competitive field," he added.

To compile its rankings, known as Essential Science Indicators, Thomson Reuters considers the number of published academic articles and references of each university.

Previously, the University of Tartu has made it into the top 1 percent in chemistry, clinical medicine, plant and animal sciences, environmental studies, social studies, biology and biochemistry, materials studies, earth sciences and technology.

Anneli Miljan
UT Press Officer
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