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Walailak University has earned recognition in the inaugural Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Science Rankings (THE ISR) 2025, ranking joint 11^th in Thailand among 14 Thai universities and placing 401-500 worldwide out of 749 universities from 92 countries. The rankings, which highlight excellence in interdisciplinary science, were released on 21 November 2024 on the Times Higher Education website.

The 2025 THE ISR assesses universities worldwide based on their contributions and commitment to interdisciplinary science, which involves integrating two or more scientific disciplines. This year’s rankings focus on THE high-level subjects: computer science, engineering, life sciences, and physical sciences. The methodology is based on 11 indicators across three key pillars: inputs (19%) for funding; process (16%) for success measures, facilities, administrative support, and promotion; and outputs (65%) for publications, research quality, and reputation.


11 indicators across 3 key pillars, source Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2025: methodology

Among the three pillars, each scored out of 100, Walailak University achieved 19.7 points for inputs, 50 points for process, and 32.5 points for outputs, culminating in an overall score of 30.0–34.7. Notably, in the process pillar, the university excelled with the highest score among Thai institutions, tying with Chiang Mai University and Thammasat University. This reflects strong support systems for interdisciplinary research, well-equipped facilities, and recognition of interdisciplinary achievements.

In Thailand, Chulalongkorn University leads the chart, placed 40^th globally, followed by Chiang Mai University in second place (47^th globally) and Mahidol University in third place (71^st globally).

On the global stage, Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads the rankings, with Stanford University in second and the National University of Singapore in third, making it the highest-ranked institution outside the United States.

The THE ISR, developed in collaboration with Schmidt Science Fellows, mark a milestone in recognizing global interdisciplinary science research excellence. It is the first-ever ranking system to evaluate universities based on their contributions and commitment to interdisciplinary science. The 2025 edition analyzed data from 157 million citations across 18 million research publications, supported by renowned global information analytics company Elsevier, and incorporated survey responses from over 20,000 scholars worldwide.