Exploring the data behind research performance, visibility and academic reputation
University rankings attract strong opinions and significant attention from senior leadership teams. Yet discussions often focus on explaining outcomes rather than examining the underlying signals that shape them.
In this session, Ann Campbell, Director of Research Impact and Comparative Analytics at Digital Science, explores how ranking indicators and research intelligence can be used together to better understand academic and employer reputation. Drawing on publicly available data and sector-wide trends, she demonstrates how institutions can move beyond scores to examine the research ecosystems that contribute to reputation, including collaborations, citations, policy influence, funding networks, international engagement, media visibility and broader research impact.
We are also delighted to be joined by Zeenat Fayaz for a special discussion to close the webinar. Together, they explore the intersection of research intelligence, rankings and institutional brand strategy, and discuss how universities can move beyond measuring reputation to actively understanding and strengthening it.
This discussion builds on Zeenat’s recent thought piece for Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Building university reputation, the way academics have always built their own, which argues that institutional reputation should emerge from academic credibility and scholarly contribution rather than communications activity alone.
This is not a rankings masterclass. It is a practical discussion about using data more strategically. Rather than asking, “How can we improve our ranking?”, the session asks a different question: “What does the data reveal about how reputation is built, recognised and sustained?”
By exploring these underlying dynamics, institutions can make more informed decisions about research visibility, collaboration and impact, while developing a richer understanding of the signals reflected in ranking frameworks.
In this webinar you will:
- Explore the research and reputation signals behind major ranking indicators, and how they can be contextualised using institutional data alongside research intelligence sources such as Dimensions and Altmetric
- See how institutions can develop complementary indicators that align with ranking themes while reflecting their own strategic priorities.
- Identify where strong research is not being surfaced and what institutions can do to improve visibility and recognition
- Build an evidence base that supports reputation analysis, institutional reporting and broader impact agendas without chasing figures
Who should attend
- Research office directors and VPs of Research
- Heads of Research Impact and Research Intelligence
- Chiefs of Data and Research Information Managers
- Institutional strategy and planning leads
- Anyone supporting their institution’s rankings strategy or research evaluation agenda
Meet our speaker
Ann Campbell
Director of Research Impact and Comparative Analytics | Digital Science
Ann specialises in helping universities turn complex research data into strategic insight, supporting areas such as research evaluation, benchmarking, impact assessment, rankings analysis and institutional reporting. Working across the global research ecosystem, she collaborates with institutions, funders and publishers to develop data-driven approaches that improve understanding of research performance, visibility and impact.
An active contributor to sector discussions, Ann has spoken at events hosted by organisations including QS and Times Higher Education. She is passionate about helping organisations move beyond reporting metrics to using data as a tool for evidence-based decision-making.
Zeenat Fayaz
Director of Brand Strategy | The Brand Education
Zeenat is Director of Brand Strategy at The Brand Education, a consultancy working with universities and government on reputation and brand. Her expertise sits at the intersection of rankings, research performance and institutional reputation — making the connection between how universities are measured and how they are perceived.
She is the author of Reputation 101: The 3 C’s Universities Are Missing, which sets out the credibility, connection and capability framework and the case for a Chief Reputation Officer. She has worked with and advised institutions including The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Durham University and the University of Sydney, drawing on rigorous front-end research to help institutions build and sustain reputations worthy of their intellectual mission.