Higher education consultancy
Measuring what universities are for.
Impact HE helps universities understand how they are measured, what the evidence actually says, and how to make a credible case for the difference they make. It is led by Duncan Ross, former chief data officer at Times Higher Education and creator of the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings.
Recent platforms
Duncan is a frequent presenter around the world – and is committed to raising the profile of higher education on the global stage: talking about university impact and rankings with governments, international bodies and university leaders.
Services
What we do
Our work falls into four areas: exploring sustainability, the research rankings, university strategy and reputation. We work with colleagues from across the world to deliver the right results for your universities.
Sustainability in rankings and beyond
I designed the methodology of the THE Impact Rankings, so know exactly how submissions are interpreted. Whether it’s for the THE or QS Sustainability rankings we can review your evidence, advise on which SDGs to enter, and help you transform your submission into a university wide strategy.
Global research rankings
Preparing for the THE and QS World University Rankings, indicator by indicator and subject by subject. We find the real risks and realistic opportunities, and check that your data is presented in line with each methodology.
Beyond the rankings
Measures that serve your own strategy rather than a league table. For universities, scholarship programmes and foundations that is often an impact framework showing what an investment in people actually changed, refreshed each year. It might also be a review of your publications or partnerships.
Reputation
Reputation surveys carry a third of the THE World University Rankings score. They are recall surveys, so the question is simple. Do the researchers who vote know your best work? We map your genuine research relationships and help you make the most of them.
About
Led by Duncan Ross
I spent ten years as chief data officer at Times Higher Education, where I created the THE Impact Rankings (now the Sustainability Impact Ratings) and was responsible for developing the World University Rankings. Most recently I was global head of research at Newsweek.
I know how rankings are built, and where they fall short. What they measure and what they choose not to measure. These days I work directly with universities that want evidence that holds up, whatever it does for their place in a table.
- Chief Data Officer, Times Higher Education, 2015–2025
- Co-chair, Rankings, Ratings and Assessments Action Group, UN Higher Education Sustainability Initiative
- Highly Commended, Data Leader of the Year, British Data Awards 2024
- International Fellow, US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, 2025
On the ratings
What others have said about the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings
I designed the ratings, which were launched as the THE Impact Rankings in 2019, while at Times Higher Education. These comments about the ratings express the impact that I built into the design and concept.
“It’s a ranking with a heartbeat… It doesn’t just crunch numbers, it asks a much bigger questions: what is this university actually giving back to society?”
Dr Snow (Xuejun) Wang
Head, Institutional Research and Branding Office, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
“Changing lives is what universities exist to do. The Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings recognise how universities are improving people’s lives through education, research, partnerships and the way they operate.”
Colin Stirling
Vice-Chancellor, Flinders University, Australia
“Participating in the Sustainability Impact Ratings has helped Queen’s articulate and expand the ways we contribute to the global good.”
Patrick Deane
Principal, Queen’s University, Canada
“I think it is fantastic that you have this [ratings] scheme because it is great to have the positive messaging around the Sustainable Development Goals… When you see universities competing – these are really high caliber universities – competing for awards on their commitment to individual SDGs, that is only a good news story.”
David Donoghue
Co-facilitator for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Where my work has taken me
Over the last decade my work with higher education has taken me across the world. The questions universities ask about impact are surprisingly similar from Tokyo to Cape Town. The answers, less so.
Insights
Notes on rankings, data and impact
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Who will pay for better higher education data?
On the tertiary education data gap, and three questions that need answering first.
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Changes in the THE World University Rankings, 2027 and 2028
A falling number of reputation votes, exact positions down to 300th, and proposed changes to the citation measures.
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The ranking with the most
More than 3,000 universities submitted data to the THE rankings this year. What does that number actually tell us?
Start a conversation
If you are wondering whether we can help, the simplest thing is to ask. A short note on what you are trying to do is plenty to start with.