Lawrence Berkeley Lab Reviews

Pros

Top notch research equipment and scientific goals.

Cons

More of a con regarding the entire concept of temporary postdoctoral fellowship employment. There should be more of a focus on recruiting into career track positions. This is a problem with academics in general, and on the whole LBNL does a great job making the postdoctoral experience rewarding, despite the transient character.

Pros

Smart people, good work life balance.

Cons

Work not always challenging enough. Sometimes, left idle.

Pros

great mission, wonderful location, great benefits including retirement

Cons

some dead-end jobs in operations; not much opportunity for going up the ladder unless someone retires

Advice to Senior Management

look at promotion opportunities for mid-level employees, subsidizing childcare

Pros

Berkeley lab has world class researchers but pays less than other national labs in the area. They say the view makes up for this...

Cons

Lower pay. Aging facilities. Difficult parking. Funding never a sure thing.

Pros

The benefits package is great because it includes health and dental care. Your hours are usually determined by your advisor and not by an HR department.

Cons

If you want to transition into the business world or simply out of science, you will find a complete lack of resources to help you complete this change.

Pros

Internationally recognized
Great location in Bay Area
Good resources

Cons

Sometimes too much government bureaucracy
Not much social interaction

Pros

Good UC benefits which are about to be cut. Complete freedom to do what you want without fear of management interference. Some scientists are first rate.

Cons

No chance for promotion or recognition. Laboratory fails to review employee performance despite DOE contract responsibility to do so. Plenty of deadwood. Arrogance of senior staff is oppressive. Lab likely to be closed in the future and turned over to UC Berkeley.

Advice to Senior Management

Try running the lab for a change and pay attention to what people are actually doing. Most division heads need to be fired. There has be great disaffection with LBNL for at least 25 years.

Pros

good people and opportunity to do research

Cons

somewhat aggresive for the project

Pros

Fascinating Science that is not done the same way at any other lab
Good People - Great co workers
Best place on earth for researchers, not so much for operations

Cons

Politics and Bureaucracy
As almost all management come from within the Academic or University system, the Consensus driven approach to each and every challenge is mind numbing.
Getting anyone to make a decision and put their foot down as " This is the way we must proceed to be successful" is impossible. Everything must be discussed until there is no energy left to "do"

Advice to Senior Management

Look to successful industry for insights into how to better run the lab.
The academic model for managing the business side of the lab does not work

Pros

Good salary and reasonable benefits within a prestigious name institution. Vicinity to the prestigious UC Berkeley. Fantastic location on the Berkeley's hill. State of the art computer and research laboratories facilities.

Cons

Postdoctoral are treated very poorly and mainly considered as cheap labor. Logic of career advancement is contrived at best. In some Divisions of the Laboratory, Senior Management does not do a good job in advancing cutting edge science.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve communication to employees concerning possibilities on obtaining independent funding to further the Laboratory goals. Create career paths for terminated postdocs.