Los Alamos National Laboratory Reviews

Pros

Great place to work, and this position is nice if you're not sure what you want to do next and need time to figure out. I get to use my skills to do interesting work and solve real problems. Work environment is relaxed and very flexible, can take classes part time while working, etc.

Cons

Can take awhile to get started, especially getting computers/other resources you need set up. Located in a small town, not much to do around here off the clock.

Advice to Senior Management

I am glad that the management is still funding its student programs, I think they're valuable for students to see what kinds of work they can accomplish/spark further interest in working for a research lab.

Pros

40 hour work week was the greatest thing ever to happen at los alamos.

Cons

too remote from civilization and the airport is 2 hours away.

Pros

Flexible work times
Good relaxed environment

Cons

Long startup time (takes several months to start real work.

Advice to Senior Management

I have no advice at this time. I believe management is doing en excellent job.

Pros

There are a huge variety of projects at Los Alamos to work on. The Lab is quite flexible about
work hours and dress. There are interesting and smart people who work here. The area
is beautiful with many outdoor and cultural activities available. The pay is reasonable high
for the work. If you have matching interests, you get to work on world class projects.

Cons

The lab is very bound by regulations that sometimes make it hard if not impossible to get work
done. They have policies that in no way affect safety or security that waste money. There
is a certain amount of mistrust about everyone who works here. The town of Los Alamos
is very small and the nearest town with good restaurants, shopping, etc. is 40 mins away
and fairly expensive to live it. Los Alamos is expensive also.

Advice to Senior Management

Try to be more flexible about things that don't matter. Be willing to invest more in training
for your people. That training should be what they want and not totally unneeded training.

Pros

The staff of the Laboratory are outstanding - you get to work and network with brilliant people. There are opportunities to work on a wide variety of projects and programs of very high importance. Benefits and pay are good. Excellent location in the mountains - if you like outside activities and open spaces. Good work/life balance and family-friendly.

Cons

A bureaucratic environment can make it take a long time to get things done, like employment processes, building repairs, and purchasing. Lots of paperwork and approvals are often required. Some managers seem to have a difficult time supporting their employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Support your employees by allowing lower level management and employees to make decisions and then trust them to do their jobs.

Pros

Smart colleague
Nice working environment (nice office desks/chairs, computers)
Great pay (almost double the graduate student salary in a university)
Get to meet several experts in my field and collaborate with them

Cons

The town is too isolated, greatly limiting the collaborations with other universities/institutes.
sometimes getting things done could be cumbersome if you are foreign national.

Advice to Senior Management

might consider building more collaborations with other universities/institutes, like invite famous professors over to teach short-term courses, or create joint research programs, etc.

Pros

Good work culture and research environment.

Cons

Bad policy of promotions and not a very transparent promotion process. Very less importance given to individual ability and undue importance given to the team they belong to. Arbitrary management policy on treating scientists.

Advice to Senior Management

Management should opt for hiring the best scientists around and doing science and not give preference to hiring mediocre people just because they have spouses employed as scientists or because they belong to teams with lot of research funding.

Pros

Salaries and the variation of job opportunities

Cons

Poor Management with little people skills

Advice to Senior Management

Learn the meaning of compassion

Pros

Beautiful environment in the mountains. The Lab is filled with extremely intelligent, competent scientists who are there to do the best work they can to achieve the nation's security goals.

Cons

Not a whole lot to do in the town besides hiking. The administrative and IT staff can be overly bureaucratic and frustrating at times.

Pros

high salary for postdoc and work life balance.

Cons

I do not like the politics there