The University of Texas at Austin is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world, and its science programs are no exception.

According to the latest annual report from the Nature Index, an organization that tracks author affiliation information from published research articles, UT-Austin ranks No. 25 in the world among academic institutions for the publication of academic research. The rankings are determined by tabulating author affiliation of articles published in elite science journals.

Caroline Kelly, public health and Spanish sophomore, said she isn’t surprised by the results.

“I have always heard that UT is a powerhouse research university,” Kelly said. “But not until I really got involved (principally starting with FRI), did I truly begin to understand the scope.”

UT-Austin ranked No. 16 among all universities in the U.S. and No. 7 among public universities. 

The Nature Index also evaluates productivity in chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, life sciences and physical sciences. UT earned a top-50 ranking in three of these fields: No. 10 in earth and environmental, No. 18 in chemistry and No. 24 in physical sciences.

Brent Iverson, a professor in the chemistry department and dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, said the ranking is a great indication of the strength of the faculty and students at UT and the research that they do.

“There’s a lot of different ways that you can rank an academic department, but, from a scientist’s point of view, the most meaningful is the impact of the work we do,” Iverson said. “One of the most interesting parts of that analysis … is how other schools in the state rank, and, how much better UT is,” Iverson said.

Public health sophomore Soumya Shekhar said she thinks the ranking is completely warranted.

“There is some really cool stuff going on here at UT, and it’s hard to fathom just how much research goes on every day,” Shekhar said.

Only two other Texas institutions broke the Nature Index top 100. Texas A&M came in at No. 58, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at No. 81.

UT-Austin has also recently been ranked No. 30 by U.S. News & World Report’s Global University Rankings and by the Center for World University Rankings, and No. 37 by the Academic Ranking of World Universites.

“[Research] is one of the most magical ways UT opens doors of the world to let students explore,” Kelly said.