The University has been recognised as Australia’s top research institution in eight fields, while nine Macquarie academics have been named Australia’s top researchers in their respective fields.
An initiative of The Australian newspaper, the national rankings identify the top research institutions and individual scholars across 250 fields of research by analysing citations from papers published in the top 20 journals in each field over the past five years.
Macquarie University has been named the leading research institution in the following fields:
- Accounting & Taxation
- Otolaryngology
- English Language & Literature
- Epistemology & Scientific History
- Language & Linguistics
- Philosophy
- Animal Behaviour & Ethology
- Early Childhood Education
The following Macquarie researchers were recognised as the leaders in their field:
- Professor John Dumay, Accounting & Taxation
- Dr Natasha Magson, Child & Adolescent Psychology
- Professor Richard Harvey, Otolaryngology
- Dr Pierrick Bourrat, Epistemology & Scientific History
- Professor Alison Pullen, Gender Studies
- Professor Mark Alfano, Philosophy
- Professor Culum Brown, Animal Behaviour & Ethology
- Professor Sandie Wong, Early Childhood Education
- Professor Surya Deva, International Law
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius said the results reflect the University’s long-standing strengths across the humanities, social sciences, science and health.
“These rankings highlight the depth of Macquarie’s research excellence, as well as the international impact our academics continue to achieve,” he said.
“Being named Australia’s top institution in eight diverse fields demonstrates the strength of our research culture and our commitment to pursuing knowledge that creates meaningful change.
“Congratulations to our academics who have been named the best in their field and Macquarie University’s entire research network, which stands as a testament to our shared dedication to excellence.”
The 2026 edition of Research magazine also examined how effectively Australian universities contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Macquarie University has been named one of the top five Australian universities contributing to SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, acknowledging the University’s research impact in areas such as governance, human rights, international law and ethical leadership.