In a major achievement, Dibrugarh University has secured the 18th position among academic institutions in India in the Physical Sciences category according to the latest Nature Index rankings. This marks the first time the university’s Department of Physics has broken into the top 20, having consistently ranked in the 20-40 range over the past year.
“Dibrugarh University is the only university among the top 20 rankings in the Physical Sciences category in a list mostly dominated by IITs, IISERs, and other premier institutes and topped by IISc. It is worth mentioning that Dibrugarh University has been placed above a number of IISERs and IITs in the updated list. This achievement reflects the dedication and research excellence of our faculty and students,” Dibrugarh University Vice Chancellor Prof Jiten Hazarika on Tuesday said.
The accomplishment is particularly significant given that Dibrugarh University has surpassed several Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research in the rankings. Among institutions in Northeast India, IIT Guwahati leads at 5th position nationally, followed by Dibrugarh University at 18th and Tezpur University at 28th.
The Nature Index, conceived by Nature Portfolio, is a prestigious database that tracks institutions and countries’ scientific output based on contributions to research articles published in high-quality journals. Originally launched in November 2014 with 64 natural-science journals, the index expanded to 82 natural-science journals in 2018 and added 64 health-science journals in 2023. More than 17,000 institutions worldwide are listed in the Nature Index, which is updated monthly.
State Education Minister Ranoj Pegu expressed pride in the achievement, stating, “It is a matter of utmost pride for the higher education sector of Assam that the Department of Physics, Dibrugarh University, has secured the 18th position in India in the prestigious Nature Index. Consistently ranked within 20-40 over the past years, the department has published 118 Scopus-indexed papers, including 67 in Q1 journals, reflecting outstanding research excellence despite limited resources.”
Pegu extended congratulations to the entire Dibrugarh University fraternity, emphasising that the accomplishment demonstrates what can be achieved even with constrained resources when institutional commitment and research excellence align.
The Nature Index ranking is based on contribution to research articles published in a curated list of high-quality journals and is categorised by individual fields of research including life sciences, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. The Physical Sciences category particularly emphasises publications in premier journals that undergo rigorous peer review and maintain high citation standards.
Vice Chancellor Hazarika noted that the monthly updates to the Nature Index mean that maintaining and improving this position will require sustained research output and continued publication in high-impact journals.
“This ranking is both an achievement and a challenge. We must continue to support our research faculty and create an environment that nurture high-quality scientific inquiry,” he stated.
