Produced in exclusive partnership with The Australian, the 2021 edition of the RESEARCH magazine highlights the top 250 researchers in Australia pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and innovation.

This year's overarching theme introduces "The List," focusing on the world leading Aussies who are making a profound impact on society. We explore the brilliant minds driving change, the rise of entrepreneurial universities, and the essential reading shaping the academic landscape.

Key Themes Explored in 2021

• The Top 250 Researchers
  Our proprietary, data driven methodology identifying Australia's leading minds across 250 distinct fields of research.

• World Leading Aussies
  Profiling the exceptional individuals across diverse disciplines, from engineers tackling global challenges to psychologists helping children flourish, and future leaders shaping smart cities.

• Entrepreneurial Universities
  A close look at how Australian universities are fostering entrepreneurship, supporting startups, and driving commercial outcomes from their research.

• Best 10 Books
  A curated selection of the top ten most impactful books published by leading Australian academics this year.

Our Data Science Methodology
Behind the journalism is League of Scholars' rigorous data engine. To find the Top 250 research leaders, our team uses advanced analytics to process publicly available information from Google Scholar. We calculate a specific "impact score" for every Australian researcher and institution, based on the number of citations their papers have received in the top 20 journals of their respective fields over the past five years. This evidence-based approach removes subjectivity, rewarding research quality, impact, and volume to provide a definitive, quantifiable landscape of Australian academic excellence.