(Philadelphia, PA) - Multidisciplinary research, economic stability, and an affable working environment were cited as the major factors for job satisfaction among postdocs in The Scientist's Best Places to Work for Postdocs survey. Detailed results of the survey can be found in the cover story of The Scientist, Februrary 16, 2004.
From more than 48,000 survey invitations sent to registrants on The Scientist website who identified themselves as a non-tenured life scientist working at a non-commercial research institution in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, or Israel, we received 3,529 useable responses that identified 929 unique institutions.
Federally funded institutions faired particularly well in the US, placing five in the top 15. "Here, there's a more cooperative, than competitive feeling," says Deborah Swope of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, ranked 3rd by US survey participants.
The top overall results for US institutions are:
1. Fox Chase...
A wealth of training and support services helped carry the University of Alberta to the top of our ranking for non-US institutions. "I have all the support I need or could have imagined," says Carlos Flores-Mir, a postdoctoral fellow in the university's orthodontic program.
The top overall results for non-US institutions are:
1. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
2. University of Liverpool, UK
3. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
4. Utrecht University, The Netherlands
5. Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
6. John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
7. McGill University, Montreal, Canada
8. University of Manchester, UK
9. University of Edinburgh, UK
10. University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
11. University College London, UK
12. Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
13. University of Glasgow, UK
14. University of Oxford, UK
15. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Overall, The Scientist evaluated the 61 US institutions with 10 or more responses and 30 non-US institutions that had five or more responses.
For full text of the article and survey methodology, log onto our website. The authors, Paula Park and Alexander Grimwade can be contacted at ppark@the-scientist.com and agrimwade@the-scientist.com.