The Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada achieved proud achievements at the international level following the release of the 2024 QS World University Rankings (WUR) by Subject from the world university ranking agency, QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). In the field of Biology through QS WUR by Subject Biological Science, the Faculty of Biology is ranked first in Indonesia and 501-550th in the world for two consecutive years (2023-2024). This position is equal to biology programs at several world-renowned universities such as Murdoch University, Australia to Okayama University and Tokyo University, Japan. These results prove Biology program of Universitas Gadjah Mada position as the best biology study program in Indonesia and is on par with similar fields of science with other world’s best universities.
The ranking carried out by QS WUR is based on five indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, citation per faculty, h-index citation, and international research network. Universitas Gadjah Mada itself places 25 fields of subject in the 2024 QS WUR by Subject, one of which is in the field of biological sciences. For the last three years, the UGM Faculty of Biology has competed fiercely on the five assessment indicators with the field of biological sciences from several other best universities in Indonesia, namely the University of Indonesia, IPB University and Airlangga University.
The UGM Faculty of Biology is in first place, especially in the academic reputation and citation per faculty indicators in the QS WUR Biological Science assessment compared to other best universities in Indonesia. This is of course supported by the reputation and contribution of the entire Faculty of Biology academic community in improving the quality and quantity of research, as well as its international programs in the field of biological sciences, such as double degree programs, student exchanges, international summer courses, research collaborations, and joint publications. In addition, the Faculty of Biology also competes fiercely in the indicators of employer reputation, h-index citation and international research network, thereby demonstrating the quality of the Faculty of Biology at national and international levels.
Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. as Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM admitted that achieving first place for three consecutive years was a bonus and encouragement for the academic community to improve the quality of the tridharma of higher education. He said that his faculty was committed to encouraging improvements in the quality and reputation of academics, research and collaboration. This commitment is accompanied by an annual evaluation together with the Faculty’s Senate. The Dean of the Faculty of Biology admitted that these results also showed the work efficiency of the limited number of lecturers. In total, one of the smallest faculties at UGM is supported by 70 lecturers, 57 of whom have doctoral degrees, and 10 have been appointed as Professors.
Prof. Budi also added that the increasing research collaboration and international publications in the Faculty of Biology were supported by the promotion of faculty collaboration with various prestigious universities in the world, including universities in England, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Japan and several universities in Southeast Asia. This collaboration is encouraged through Double Degree programs, some of which are with the Australian National University (ANU), Western Sydney University (WSU), and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Another program is student exchange which so far has collaborated with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) Malaysia, Yamagata University Japan, James Cook University Australia, and Ankara University Turkey.
The increase in collaboration that continues to be carried out by the Faculty of Biology is also supported by the Faculty’s plan budget allocation of 10-15 percent. The funding allocation will also continue to be increased in line with the plan to open the Biodiversity Curator Professional Study Program (PKKH) in mid-2024, and has collaborated with several universities in the world such as Leiden University of the Netherlands, Leipzig University Germany, ANU-Australia, Cairo University, Egypt, and Pukyong University-South Korea in the field of Biodiversity Curator Profession in Indonesia.
Prof. Budi added that the Faculty of Biology is working to improve facilities and infrastructure for research and the downstreaming of research innovation, and support collaborative research collaboration and international publications. The Dean of the Faculty of Biology also expressed his hope that the Faculty of Biology could achieved top 200 world ranking.
Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App.Sc. as Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Collaboration and Alumni Affairs of the Faculty of Biology UGM, said that the faculty will continue to increase its recognition on the world stage through research collaborations and impactful publications, as well as expanding collaboration networks on the international level. This commitment is expected to provide color for the development of biological sciences in Indonesia in accordance with the Faculty of Biology’s support for sustainable development goals (SDGs) and contribute to increasing inclusive education through expanding international standard collaboration (SDG 4 and 17).