Uppsala University rises to 24th in the world in Pharmacy and Pharmacology

The QS World University Rankings 2025 have been released. Uppsala University climbs ten places to number 93 on the list of the world’s leading universities, marking our university’s highest position since 2015. This recognition is due in no small part to Uppsala’s ranking of 24th in the subject of Pharmacy and Pharmacology—a remarkable rise from 47th place last year. This also represents our university’s highest ranking in an individual subject.

“Our Faculty’s climb in the global rankings reflects the success of recent strategic investments and confirms our positive development. Looking at individual indicators, we achieve consistently strong results, including Citations per Paper, which confirms that our research is of the highest quality and globally relevant. This is also evident in the Academic Reputation indicator, which is of great importance in our aim to recruit leading talent to research and education,” says Mathias Hallberg, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The highest single score is achieved in the International Research Network indicator, highlighting a strong global presence. In recent years, Uppsala University has initiated a range of cross-border pharmaceutical collaborations—including SweDeliver and ENABLE-2—and has also hosted several conferences that have brought the world’s leading pharmaceutical researchers to Uppsala.

“There is no doubt that the Faculty of Pharmacy is strengthening its international standing. Last summer, our group organised the EuroDURG conference, bringing more than 300 experts from five continents to Uppsala. We are also launching several pan-European collaborations, and these are just a few examples of the many exciting initiatives taking shape at the Faculty’s departments,” says Björn Wettermark, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology.

Also in terms of individual researchers, this year’s rankings provide inspiring reading for the Faculty of Pharmacy. In Elsevier’s Top 2% Scientists list of the world’s most influential researchers, Hans Lennernäs – author of more than 300 published articles with 29,000 citations – ranks 77th in the world in Pharmacology & Pharmacy. In Scopus, the world’s largest reference database for peer-reviewed literature, Mats Karlsson, Mats Larhed and Per Artursson are among many familiar names that achieve high H-indices. Close behind is Christian Benedict, newly appointed Professor of Pharmacology, already holding an H-index of 57.

“That our relatively small Faculty makes such a distinct impact in the major global rankings is a testament to the professionalism and enthusiasm that characterise every part of our organisation. With strategically important initiatives underway and strong rankings such as these, we are becoming increasingly attractive to top students, researchers and potential partners, which gives me confidence that we will soon climb to even higher positions,” says Deputy Dean Anja Sandström.

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt a o