Friday 18 March 2011 2:25pm
The University of Otago was placed first in the Nature Asia-Pacific publishing rankings for New Zealand institutions last year.
Nature and Nature Research journals are prestigious international interdisciplinary journals for science. The rankings are the measure of a portfolio of several Nature research journals in the Asia-Pacific region. They are based on the number of papers that were published as articles and letters or reviews.
The New Zealand list included several crown research institutes, other universities and hospitals. Professor Harlene Hayne, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprise, says she is delighted Otago did so well.
“Our researchers featured in Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Genetics and Nature Geoscience. This illustrates the depth of talent we have here at Otago,”
“The ranking is also evidence of the strong contribution Otago scientists make to the international research and progress in science. Only about eight per cent of all papers submitted to Nature are published and it is encouraging that so many Otago researchers from our three main campuses meet such rigorous international standards,” says Professor Hayne.
* Due to an omission by Nature Asia-Pacific, another paper by Otago researchers, which was published in Nature Physics in September, did not appear in the ranking list. The corresponding author of this paper was Dr Mikkel Andersen.
Background information
Otago academics who contributed to the nine 2010 articles, letters and reviews published in Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Genetics and Nature Geoscience in 2010 were:
- Dr Miles Lamare, Marine Science
Bates, A. E., Lee, R. W., Tunnicliffe, V., & Lamare, M. D. (2010). Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment. Nature Communications, 1. doi: 10.1038/ncomms1014 - Dr Jevon Longdell, Physics
Hedges, M. P., Longdell, J. J., Li, Y., & Sellars, M. J. (2010). Efficient quantum memory for light. Nature, 465(7301), 1052-1056. doi: 10.1038/nature09081 - Professor Andre van Rij, Surgery, DSM; Associate Professor Michael Williams, Medicine, DSM; Associate Professor Greg Jones, Surgery, DSM
Gretarsdottir, S., Baas, A. F., Thorleifsson, G., Holm, H., den Heijer, M., de Vries, J-P. P. M., Kranendonk, S. E., Zeebregts, C. J. A. M., van Sterkenburg, S. M., Geelkerken, R. H., van Rij, A. M., Williams, M. J. A., ..., Jones, G. T., et al. (2010). Genome-wide association study identifies a sequence variant within the DAB2IP gene conferring susceptibility to abdominal aortic aneurysm. Nature Genetics, Advance Online Publication. doi: 10.1038/ng.622 - Dr Rebecca Roberts, Medicine, UOC; Clinical Professor Murray Barclay, Medicine, UOC; Associate Professor Richard Gearry, Medicine, UOC
Franke, A., McGovern, D. P. B., Barrett, J. C., Wang, K., Radford-Smith, G. L., Ahmad, T., Lees, C. W., Balschun, T., Lee, J., Roberts, R., ..., Barclay, M., ..., Gearry, R., et al. (2010). Genome-wide meta-analysis increases to 71 the number of confirmed Crohn's disease susceptibility loci. Nature Genetics, 42(12), 1118-1125. doi: 10.1038/ng.717 - Dr Esko Wiltshire, Paediatrics & Child Health, UOW
Calvo, S. E., Tucker, E. J., Compton, A. G., ..., Wiltshire, E., et al. (2010). High-throughput, pooled sequencing identifies mutations in NUBPL and FOXRED1 in human complex I deficiency. Nature Genetics, 42(10), 851-858. doi: 10.1038/ng.659 - Associate Professor Greg Jones and Professor Andre van Rij, Surgery, DSM
Thorgeirsson, T. E., Gudbjartsson, D. F., Surakka, I., Vink, J. M., ..., Jones, G. T., van Rij, A. M., et al. (2010). Sequence variants at CHRNB3-CHRNA6 and CYP2A6 affect smoking behavior. Nature Genetics, 42(5), 448-453. doi: 10.1038/ng.573 - Professor Richard Sibson, Geology (A Fagereng, Student)
Fagereng, Å., Remitti, F., & Sibson, R. H. (2010). Shear veins observed within anisotropic fabric at high angles to the maximum compressive stress. Nature Geoscience, 3(7), 482-485. doi: 10.1038/ngeo898 - Dr John Sullivan and Professor Clive Ronson, Microbiology and Immunology, OSMS
Madsen, L. H., Tirichine, L., Jurkiewicz, A., Sullivan, J. T., ..., Ronson, C. W., et al. (2010). The molecular network governing nodule organogenesis and infection in the model legume Lotus japonicus. Nature Communications, 1. doi: 10.1038/ncomms1009 - Dr Philip Boyd, Chemistry and M J Ellwood, student.
Boyd, P. W., & Ellwood, M. J. (2010). The biogeochemical cycle of iron in the ocean. Nature Geoscience, 3(10), 675-682. doi: 10.1038/ngeo964 - Paper omitted by Nature Asia-Pacific:
Dr Mikkel Andersen, Dr Tzahi Grünzweig and Dr Andrew Hilliard, Physics, and Matt McGovern, student.
Grünzweig, T., Hilliard, A., McGovern, M. (2010). Near-deterministic preparation of a single atom in an optical microtrap. Nature Physics, 6, 951-954. doi: 10.1038/nphys1778
A list of Otago experts available for media comment is available elsewhere on this website.
Electronic addresses (including email accounts, instant messaging services, or telephone accounts) published on this page are for the sole purpose of contact with the individuals concerned, in their capacity as officers, employees or students of the University of Otago, or their respective organisation. Publication of any such electronic address is not to be taken as consent to receive unsolicited commercial electronic messages by the address holder.
