Ateneo de Manila University remains the Philippines’ highest-ranked university for the fifth consecutive year in the recently released 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, placing in the 1001–1200 bracket among 2,297 institutions across 118 countries and territories. The primary engine of the Ateneo's overall global position is its research quality, with a score of 66.9—up from just 52.4 in 2024. It far outstripped its local rivals and many international institutions to land in the 705th spot for the metric worldwide.

Farshid Alambeigi’s research spans engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, medical imaging, advanced manufacturing and surgery. His goal is not simply to build more sophisticated robots, but rather to create technologies surgeons will actually use — tools that address real clinical problems, improve patient care and have a realistic path from prototype to hospital.

Aaron Ames and his colleagues are pushing hard to establish the math-based safety layer for the two-legged robots before someone gets hurt.

On social media, Professor Eiryo Kawakami humorously introduces himself as a ‘Triple Dr.’ —a medical doctor (Dr.), a PhD holder (Dr.), and a drummer (Dr.). Behind this playful self-introduction lies a serious mission: advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science technologies for the early detection and prediction of disease. Professor Kawakami serves as the Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research in Therapeutics, while also playing a central role in the management meetings of the Chiba University Data Science Core (DSC). Balancing these responsibilities with his research and personal interests makes for a busy but stimulating life.

“I enjoy intellectually exploring in many different directions,” he says. We spoke with him about his vision for the future of medicine powered by AI.

Despite cancer rates similar to Western Europe, patients in the Balkans are far more likely to die from the disease. Experts point to delayed detection, weak primary care, and limited access to advanced diagnostics as the principal culprits.

Across the Balkan Peninsula, health systems face a stark contradiction: while the incidence of solid tumours broadly mirrors that of Western Europe, mortality remains stubbornly elevated. Lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers are the leading killers among men, while breast, lung, colorectal, and cervical cancers take the heaviest toll on women.

New treatments – including experimental cancer vaccines from Moderna show promise in late-stage trials, but their cost puts them out of reach for most patients in the region. According to Dr Marchela Koleva, founder and Head of the Department of Medical Oncology at St. Sophia Hospital the core problem is not a lack of therapies but a chronic failure to diagnose early enough.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to pursuing world-class research and fostering innovation to address global challenges. Prof. Charles Chunbao XU, Chair Professor of Advanced Biorefinery in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Director of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science for 2026.

In recent years, relationships between research and researchers have been discussed with the recognition that perfect objectivity in research is impossible. This study examined the impact of research on a researcher (called retrospective reflexivity) by reanalyzing the researcher’s nine-year study. The analysis demonstrated diverse impacts of the study on the researcher and showed how retrospective reflexivity can facilitate researcher well-being as well as reinterpretations of existing data, in which emotions can play a central role.