IUB ranked top by Research.com
Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has been recognised as the highest-ranked private university in the country in the Research.com Best Universities in Bangladesh 2025/2026 Ranking, highlighting its growing prominence in academic research and international scholarship.
According to the ranking, IUB secured third position among all Bangladeshi universities included in the assessment and was placed 2,137th globally.
The ranking lists IUB with two scholars, 332 publications and a combined H-index of 118. Among Bangladeshi institutions, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University ranked first, followed by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in second place, with IUB occupying the third position.
Research.com, an international research portal, evaluates universities and researchers across major academic disciplines using bibliometric indicators derived from publication and citation data sourced from academic databases, including OpenAlex and CrossRef.
In addition to its overall ranking, IUB achieved a notable distinction in Microbiology, where it was ranked first in Bangladesh and 527th worldwide.
The university’s profile identifies Prof. Dr. Shah M Faruque of IUB’s Department of Life Sciences as the listed scientist in the discipline. He is credited with 153 publications and a D-index of 66.
The latest achievement follows another recent international recognition, with IUB having been ranked the top private university in Bangladesh in the Nature Index institutional rankings and placed first nationally in the Physical Sciences category.
With the Research.com assessment placing the university first in Bangladesh for Microbiology, IUB is now recognised as the country’s leading institution in two major scientific research disciplines by two separate international ranking platforms.
Commenting on the achievement, IUB Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. M. Tamim said the results demonstrate that the university’s research capabilities are gaining visibility across multiple scientific fields.
“These results show that IUB’s research strength is becoming visible across more than one scientific field. Our focus will remain on supporting serious research, building stronger academic groups and encouraging work that meets international standards,” he said.
Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Daniel W. Lund said rankings based on research metrics provide an important measure of academic productivity and influence.
“Rankings based on research data are important because they reflect measurable scholarly output and impact. IUB’s performance in Microbiology and Physical Sciences points to the quality of work being done by our faculty and researchers,” he said.
Research.com said the rankings were compiled using bibliometric information from sources such as OpenAlex, an open database covering scholarly works, authors, institutions, journals and research topics, and CrossRef, a global registration agency responsible for research outputs and Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs).
The organisation noted that institutional rankings were calculated using the combined D-indexes (Discipline H-indexes) of affiliated scholars who met the eligibility threshold. The D-index assesses a researcher’s publication output and citation impact within a specific field, while the H-index measures both productivity and citation influence.
According to Research.com, the ranking was based on bibliometric data collected on November 27, 2024. The evaluation reviewed 279,971 scientist profiles across major scientific disciplines and included researchers with a qualifying D-index of 20 or above.
