U of A ranks in global Top 10 for artificial intelligence | Folio

The University of Alberta ranks second in Canada and eighth in the world for artificial intelligence research, according to the newly released 2026 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

The U of A also had six other subjects among the global Top 50, with several ranking as the top programs in Canada.

"As artificial intelligence transforms how people learn, discover, create, and work, the importance of research and education will only increase," says Bill Flanagan, president and vice-chancellor. "These rankings show that the University of Alberta is one of the best places in the world for researchers and students seeking to understand and advance AI for the benefit of all."

An AI powerhouse

Flanagan notes that the university is home to 41 Canada CIFAR AI Chairs and has a long-standing relationship with the world-leading Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), one of Canada's three national AI institutes.

Over the last year, the U of A broadened its base of AI expertise thanks to a recruitment campaign that brought 25 leading researchers to the university through a $30-million investment by CIFAR through Amii, including experts applying the technology to wide-ranging fields such as medical imaging, space physics and linguistics.

Through collaborations with Amii, the university also offers learning opportunities for students and the public, including the online introductory course Artificial Intelligence Everywhere accessible to all undergraduate students and the Artificial Intelligence Everywhere Certificate designed to equip students across all disciplines with essential AI literacy. AI Literacy for Everyone, available through U of A Continuing Education and developed by Amii, offers four foundational courses in machine learning and responsible AI training, digital course badges and access to more than 100 new modules, webinars and expert discussions.

These results are the latest recognition of the U of A's leading expertise in AI. In the 2026-27 U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings, the university ranked second in Canada and 60th worldwide for artificial intelligence. And last year, computing science professor Richard Sutton was a co-recipient of the 2024 A.M. Turing Award, regarded as the "Nobel Prize in computing," for his groundbreaking achievements as a founder of modern computational reinforcement learning.

Seven subjects in the global Top 50

Along with AI - its highest-ranking subject globally - the U of A counted six other subjects among the Top 50 in the world, two of which were also ranked as the top programs in Canada:

• Biological Sciences ranked 22nd worldwide and first in Canada.
• Automation and Control ranked 25th in the world and second in Canada.
• Nursing went up six places to rank 39th globally this year, and ranked third in Canada.
• Agricultural Sciences ranked 40th in the world and first in Canada.
• Environmental Science and Engineering improved to 46th worldwide, up from the 51-75 bracket last year, and ranked fourth in Canada.
• Earth Sciences ranked 49th in the world and second in Canada.

Other top-ranked subjects nationally included Chemical Engineering (first), Instruments Science and Technology (first), and Metallurgical Engineering (1-2).

Released annually by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects evaluates universities across 57 subjects in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences. The rankings are based on nine indicators including quality of faculty, research output and impact, and international collaboration.