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Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Is this your company?

It was a nice idea. - Postdoctoral Fellow Lawrence Berkeley Lab Employee Review

1.0
Oct 7, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Name brand recognition on your resume/CV.

Cons

You're mileage will vary but my experience was characterized by a woefully inadequate salary, mediocre intellectual environment, lack of any path for career advancement within the Lab, and an ossified bureaucracy that stifled agency and initiative at many levels of the org chart. Leadership seemed completely out of touch with the challenges faced by graduate students and postdocs, and unwilling or unable to imagine a future for the Lab beyond an outdated and broken model for doing science that I fear may become increasingly irrelevant in today's rapidly changing political, scientific, economic, and social landscapes.

Explore other reviews about Lawrence Berkeley Lab

5.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great collaborative environment, great views

Cons

Some parts are slower moving due to bureaucracy but LBNL is unique in that red taping is also loose in some areas allowing for quicker innovation

3.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

work life balance; World-Class User Facilities and Instruments, Top-Tier Scientific Collaboration

Cons

Temporary Nature of Early-Career Roles: For postdoctoral researchers, positions are inherently temporary. Securing a permanent Staff Scientist role at a national lab is notoriously difficult due to limited openings and highly competitive, lifelong tenures, which often forces researchers to look externally for long-term career growth.

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