MOSCOW, Idaho — June 28, 2016 — The University of Idaho College of Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Science faculty team has been ranked No. 4 in the nation in a recent research publication.  

The rankings were published in the journal PLOS One. The study evaluated the faculty of 33 research-intensive universities that belong to the National Association of University Fish and Wildlife Programs. This ranking is based upon scholarly productivity and research impact. For the purposes of this study, the ranking formula was calculated using multiple data points, including number of years of scientific activity, number of publications, and number of times the researcher has been cited by others. 

The study reviewed the metrics of 437 faculty members across the U.S. UI Fish and Wildlife faculty followed the University of California, Davis, North Carolina State and Colorado State in the ranking. The goal of the study was to create a qualitative benchmarking tool that could become a useful part of faculty performance evaluations.

“The study demonstrates the impressive research strength of our faculty compared to other programs, and illustrates that we are making an important national and global impact,” said Lisette Waits, head of the Fish and Wildlife Sciences Department. “This ranking also translates into outstanding educational opportunities for our students as our faculty members bring their research experiences into the classroom.” 

The complete paper, “Performance Benchmarks for Scholarly Metrics Associated with Fisheries and Wildlife Faculty,” can be found at journals.plos.org/plosone/.