Pros
Nice location and generally friendly people individually. The staff are very international and tend towards outdoorsy. In the right role with long term funding committed, it can be a decent place to work. There are still some points of science excellence remaining.
Cons
Senior management are poor leaders and have little understanding of research. The organisation is paralyzed with bureaucracy, management indecision and internal politics. Research quality is generally low, and people have cut corners for so long they have forgotten what quality research looks like. There is no mentoring, personal development support or opportunity for real advancement. Pay is the lowest of the CRIs and has been falling behind compared with inflation since before I arrived. Staff morale is very low overall.