The University of Strathclyde has been placed at 107th out of 1,397 institutions across 95 countries in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Sustainability Rankings 2024.
Strathclyde’s performance also places it at 30th in the UK and 48th in Europe in the second edition of the rankings produced by the global higher education analyst, which highlight how universities are taking action to tackle the world’s greatest Environmental, Social and Governance Issues.
Globally, Strathclyde performs particularly well in Environmental Sustainability (57th), Social Impact in Health and Wellbeing (joint 87th). Standout scores out of 100 for Strathclyde globally, include: 91.9 for Environmental Impact – Environmental Research, 95.4 for Social Impact – Health and Wellbeing, and 88.9 for Governance.
Positive impact
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “As a socially progressive University, Strathclyde is committed to using its research expertise and teaching to help tackle the climate emergency and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The University’s research is having a positive impact on enhancing protection of the environment, improving health and wellbeing, accelerating clean energy source deployment and informing the development of socially-just policies.
Given that this has been a whole-Strathclyde effort, I am delighted to see our actions and our impact reflected in the QS Sustainability Rankings.
The University has embedded the UN SDGs across its curricula and much of its research is aimed at advancing sustainability, particularly in energy systems and manufacturing. Strathclyde is also focused on its own operations and is committed to achieving an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2040 at the latest.
Sustainability expertise
Earlier this year Strathclyde launched a new MSc Sustainability programme which draws on the sustainability expertise from all four faculties – Business, Engineering, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Science – and follows the UN’s Education for Sustainable Development pedagogical principles, both in terms of content and of skills and competencies for the participants.
Current projects in which Strathclyde is exploring sustainability solutions include: SUSTAIN, which will provide a doctoral training program to support research in the application of AI to sustainable agri-food; EPICS, (Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society), an international project aiming to create 100% renewable energy power grids worldwide; and, Design HOPES (Healthy Organisations in a Place-based Ecosystem, Scotland), which is intended to transform the health and care ecosystem through design-led innovation, while contributing to the UK’s urgent net zero agenda and sustainability targets.