{"693357":{"#nid":"693357","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Psychology Rises to No. 82 Worldwide and No. 36 Nationally","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe Georgia Tech School of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) is celebrating a significant milestone as Georgia Tech rises to\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ENo. 82 worldwide and No. 36 among U.S. universities\u003C\/strong\u003E in psychology in the 2026\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ETimes Higher Education\u003C\/em\u003E (THE) World University Rankings by Subject.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe global ranking represents a substantial advance from 2024, when Georgia Tech was placed in the 126\u2013150 band. The latest results position Georgia Tech among the world\u0027s top 100 universities for psychology and among the top 40 nationally. Georgia Tech is also the highest-ranked university in Georgia for psychology, ahead of both public and private institutions in the State.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe recognition follows improvements in several measures of research and education, particularly research quality, teaching, and international engagement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EThis recognition is encouraging, not simply because of the ranking itself, but because it reflects the collective efforts of our faculty, students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, and collaborators\u003C\/em\u003E,\u201d said Tansu Celikel, professor and chair of the School of Psychological and Brain Sciences. \u201c\u003Cem\u003EOur focus is on asking important questions, conducting rigorous research, and preparing the next generation of scientists. It is gratifying to see that work gain greater international visibility.\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch Quality Drives Strong Performance\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOne of the most notable developments is Georgia Tech\u0027s improvement in research quality, which rose from 77.2 in 2024 to 86.5 in 2026 on THE\u0027s 100-point scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe 2026 research quality score also compares favorably with other leading universities in Georgia. Emory University received a score of 68.3, while the University of Georgia scored 74.8.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETHE\u0027s research quality indicators consider citation impact, research strength, research excellence, and research influence. Together, they provide a multidimensional assessment of scholarly contributions and their influence on subsequent research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech also recorded gains in teaching, with its score increasing from 32.3 to 43.9, and research environment, which rose from 34.6 to 40.0. Its international outlook score increased from 56.1 to 59.3.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EThese rankings offer one perspective on academic performance, and no single measure can capture the full value of a research and educational community\u003C\/em\u003E,\u201d Celikel said. \u201c\u003Cem\u003EWhat matters most is that our work contributes meaningful knowledge, creates opportunities for our students, and helps address important questions about the brain, mind, and behavior.\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFive Programs Connecting Brain, Behavior, and Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe School\u0027s research and educational mission spans five complementary programs:\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ECognition and Brain Science, Adult Development and Aging, Engineering Psychology, Quantitative Psychology, and Industrial\/Organizational (I\/O) Psychology.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETogether, these programs address fundamental and applied questions about human experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECognition and Brain Science investigates the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying sensation, perception, learning, memory, attention, and decision-making. Adult Development and Aging examines how cognition, behavior, and everyday functioning change across adulthood and later life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EEngineering Psychology focuses on the interaction between people and technology, including the design of systems that support human abilities, performance, and safety. Quantitative Psychology develops and applies statistical, mathematical, and computational methods to understand complex behavioral and psychological phenomena. Industrial\/Organizational Psychology studies behavior in workplaces and organizations, including employee well-being, teamwork, leadership, and performance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThese areas provide complementary perspectives on how people think, learn, work, interact with technology, and adapt throughout life. They also create opportunities for collaboration across traditional disciplinary boundaries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EOur five programs reflect the breadth of psychological science and the different ways it contributes to understanding people and the world around us,\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d Celikel said. \u201c\u003Cem\u003EWhat makes our School distinctive is not only the strength of these individual areas, but also the opportunities for them to work together and connect with Georgia Tech\u0027s expertise in engineering, computing, and the sciences.\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn Interdisciplinary Environment for Discovery\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe School\u0027s position within a leading science and engineering institution creates unique opportunities to advance psychological and brain sciences through interdisciplinary research, technological innovation, and collaboration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EResearch at PBS spans experimental, computational, theoretical, and applied approaches, connecting discoveries about neural circuits and cognitive processes with research on human development, decision-making, workplaces, and human-centered technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOver the past four years, PBS has significantly expanded its research infrastructure by establishing three Centers of Excellence focused on Navigation, Computational Cognition, and Human, Robot \u0026amp; AI Teaming, alongside new core facilities supporting the multimodal observation and control of brain and behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThese investments bring together expertise across psychology, neuroscience, engineering, computing, robotics, and artificial intelligence, creating new opportunities to investigate fundamental questions about how brains and intelligent systems perceive, learn, decide, and act.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe Centers of Excellence provide complementary platforms for interdisciplinary discovery. Research on navigation connects spatial cognition, neural mechanisms, and adaptive behavior. Computational cognition brings quantitative and computational approaches to understanding how minds and brains process information. Human, Robot \u0026amp; AI Teaming examines how people and intelligent technologies can interact, coordinate, and collaborate effectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EComplementing these initiatives, the School\u0027s core research facilities support integrated approaches to studying brain and behavior across multiple levels of analysis. By enabling multimodal measurement and experimental control, these capabilities help researchers connect neural activity, cognitive processes, and observable behavior within increasingly sophisticated experimental settings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETogether, the centers and facilities strengthen the School\u0027s capacity to pursue ambitious scientific questions, support collaborative research, and provide students and early-career scientists with access to advanced research methods and technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EWe are working hard to create an environment where researchers can pursue questions that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries\u003C\/em\u003E,\u201d said Celikel. \u201c\u003Cem\u003EOur Centers of Excellence and shared research facilities are investments in people and possibilities. They help us bring different perspectives together, support our students and colleagues, and pursue scientific questions that would be difficult to address within any single discipline.\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThese developments reflect a broader commitment to building a collaborative research community in which fundamental discoveries about the brain, mind, and behavior can inform, and be informed by, advances in technology and computational science.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELooking Beyond the Rankings\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe 2026 THE psychology rankings evaluated 694 universities across 64 countries and territories using 18 performance indicators organized into five categories: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile these rankings assess institutional performance rather than individual academic schools independently, they provide an international benchmark for Georgia Tech\u0027s development in psychological and brain sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFor PBS, the milestone offers an opportunity to recognize the contributions of its community while maintaining a focus on the scientific questions, educational mission, and collaborations that drive its work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003Cem\u003EWe appreciate this recognition, but our ambitions extend well beyond rankings,\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d Celikel said. \u201c\u003Cem\u003EOur priority is to foster an environment where talented people can pursue important scientific questions, collaborate generously, and produce research that advances our understanding of the human brain and behavior. If we do those things well, recognition will follow.\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELearn more through the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.timeshighereducation.com\/world-university-rankings\/2026\/subject-ranking\/psychology\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;2026 Times Higher Education Psychology Rankings\u003C\/a\u003E, the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.timeshighereducation.com\/world-university-rankings\/world-university-rankings-subject-2026-methodology\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;ranking methodology\u003C\/a\u003E, and the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/graduate\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;PBS graduate programs\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s School of Psychological and Brain Sciences rose to No. 82 worldwide and No. 36 nationally in the 2026 Times Higher Education psychology rankings, reflecting improvements in research quality, teaching, and international engagement, alongside expanded interdisciplinary research through its five academic programs, three Centers of Excellence, and advanced research facilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Psychological and Brain Sciences rose to No. 82 worldwide and No. 36 nationally in the 2026 Times Higher Education psychology rankings, reflecting improvements in research quality, teaching, interdisciplinary collaboration, and gl"}],"uid":"36911","created_gmt":"2026-10-21 13:14:31","changed_gmt":"2026-10-21 13:51:59","author":"tcopeland39","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-10-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-10-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681493":{"id":"681493","type":"image","title":"Credit-ThreePioneers-PBS-Stock.jpg","body":null,"created":"1792589748","gmt_created":"2026-10-21 13:35:48","changed":"1792589748","gmt_changed":"2026-10-21 13:35:48","alt":"Three Pioneers at the Harrison Square. 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