DOHA: Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) took the number one spot in the first ranking of universities in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
Qatar University (QU) was placed fourth in the top five of Times Higher Education Mena University Ranking revealed by the global expert.
Lebanese American University was second and American University of Beirut fifth. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University ranked third.
The top five have been formulated using one of Times Higher Education’s rankings indicators — research impact based on Elsevier’s Scopus database — and are designed to highlight some of the region’s top performers ahead of the magazine’s inaugural Mena universities summit on February 23 and 24 in Doha.
In partnership with the global thought leaders and academics in attendance, the event, which is part of Times Higher Education World Summit Series being co-hosted with QU, will feature an open consultation session on proposals for a full Times Higher Education Mena University Ranking.
The summit will be the first major public consultation on the Mena rankings, based on the foundations of Times Higher Education’s flagship World University Rankings but will feature a bespoke range of metrics for the region.
The consultation aims to enable the publication, which is the world’s leading authority on higher education, to identify new metrics which would help reflect regional priorities and university missions such as a greater focus on teaching and learning or graduate employment.
An official Mena ranking is expected to be published next year, combining the research impact indicator revealed, with a wider range of performance metrics.
The summit will include sessions on university leadership, international research collaboration, industry-university collaboration and teaching excellence.
“The Middle East has a dynamic and exciting higher education, research and innovation sector, with huge challenges but also huge opportunities.
“With some countries in the region becoming exciting global hubs for international students and making a serious investment in building research infrastructure, and with mounting evidence of serious pockets of research excellence emerging in key fields, there is room for optimism that we are witnessing an exciting knowledge-fuelled revival for the region,” said Phil Baty, Editor, Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
QU President, Prof Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, said: “The summit comes at a time when QU is becoming a leader in academic excellence and the fastest-growing university for research in the region.
“We are pleased to co-host the forum which will give Mena universities the opportunity to share experiences and aspirations towards improved rankings and international reputation.
“It also allows institutions from outside the region to better appreciate the particular dynamics of higher education in the region.”
The Peninsula
