Research Excellence

School researcher

Research reputation

UQ is ranked as one of the world’s top universities for agriculture and food sciences research.

It was ranked as the top agricultural research institution in Australia and the Asia-Oceania region and 12th in the world in the 2012 Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities.

With an agricultural science world ranking of 45 out of more than 1200 universities in the prestigious 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities, UQ outperforms all other Queensland universities and figures in the top three nationally for its research and teaching in the life and agricultural sciences.

UQ's environmental science was ranked 18th in the 2012 QS World University Rankings by subject, establishing the strength of this discipline on the world stage.

The landmark Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2010 national report on Australian universities confirmed the quality of the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences research with plant biology and genetics ranked as being ‘well above world standard’. Other research strengths within the School such as environmental science and management, soil science, crop and pasture production, horticultural production and food science were ranked as being ‘above world standard’ while animal production research was rated as ‘world standard’.

"UQ outperforms all other Queensland universities and figures in the top three nationally for its research and teaching in the life and agricultural sciences."

Research expertise

UQ is globally recognised as a leader in the following areas of agriculture and food sciences research:

Biotechnology and Biosciences Biofuels Plant Genomics Genetic Engineering Plant Genetics Molecular Plant Sciences Microbial & Fungal Pathogenicity Animal Genetics Bioinformatics	Environment, Biodiversity and Sustainability Environmental Management & Rehabilitation Water Management Environmental Toxicology Plant Protection Sustainable Resource Management Tropical Forest Science and Restoration Wildlife & Exotic Species
Food and Health Food Safety Food Processing & Technology Animal Health & Welfare	Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems Plant & Animal Improvement Soil & Land Resources Agribusiness

Publications

Staff in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences have published more than 2000 peer reviewed articles in the past five years. All published articles are available to view here

Competitive research grant success

The School of Agriculture and Food Sciences has a strong track record in attracting national and international competitive grant funding, including the Australian Research Council (ARC) and Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC).

A great strength of the School is its long-standing partnerships with industry, government and communities, which is reflected in our success in attracting ARC Linkage funds.

A multi-disciplinary approach is at the core of all research undertaken by the School and is reflected in the extent of national and international collaborations.

A selection of current ARC and RIRDC projects is shown below. A full list of all research projects being undertaken at the School of Agriculture and Food Science is available here