Is Howard Hughes Medical Institute a good company to work for?

Howard Hughes Medical Institute has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5, based on over 490 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 84% of employees would recommend working at Howard Hughes Medical Institute to a friend and 75% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Howard Hughes Medical Institute have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Fellow , Postdoctoral Associate and Postdoctoral Research Associate .

Does Howard Hughes Medical Institute pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Howard Hughes Medical Institute employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Howard Hughes Medical Institute?

84% of Howard Hughes Medical Institute employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Howard Hughes Medical Institute 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 3.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Howard Hughes Medical Institute?

Research Technician (39) , Postdoctoral Fellow (24) , Research Associate (19) , Research Specialist (19) , Research Technician II (13) , Postdoctoral Associate (11) , Research Scientist (11) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (10) , Research Assistant (8) , Lab Manager (7) , Research Specialist I (7) , Research Specialist II (7) , Manager (6) , Senior Scientist (6) , Administrative Assistant (5)

What are the pros of working at Howard Hughes Medical Institute according to real employee reviews?

"The benefits and amenities of the facility are great." ((in 117 reviews)); "Great culture and people." ((in 21 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and people are intelligent and easy to work with" ((in 17 reviews)); "Competitive salaries" ((in 17 reviews)); "Culture is great." ((in 15 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Howard Hughes Medical Institute according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is low, and hard to move up if you don't have a PhD." ((in 10 reviews)); "Bureaucratic organization and management." ((in 8 reviews)); "upper management does not understand the priorities of the people who work under them" ((in 4 reviews)); "No career advancement, no real leadership or guidance, slow to get projects finished, lack of communication." ((in 4 reviews)); "There's a lack of trust and effective communication between and within some departments that really hinders progress on some long" ((in 4 reviews))

What are employees saying about Howard Hughes Medical Institute layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Howard Hughes Medical Institute layoffs and their outlook for job security at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Howard Hughes Medical Institute locations?

Ashburn , Chevy Chase , Boston , New York , San Francisco , Seattle , Cambridge , San Diego , Berkeley , Stanford , Dallas , Baltimore , Los Angeles , Bethesda , Durham , Boulder , Philadelphia , Princeton , Madison , Washington , Austin , Houston , Ann Arbor , Chapel Hill , La Jolla , Palo Alto , Waltham , Worcester , UCLA , Madison

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Howard Hughes Medical Institute reviews

4.3

84% would recommend to a friend

(459 total reviews)

Erin O'Shea

81% approve of CEO

75% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Culture & values

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.8

Senior management

3.6

Career opportunities

Howard Hughes Medical Institute has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 459 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute employee rating is 21% above average for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

459 reviews

4.0

Mar 27, 2009

Review of an academic technician position

Research technician ii

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working towards a noble cause with the brightest minds in the field.

Cons

Easy to be a victim of the rigid academic hierarchy.

4.0

Mar 23, 2009

HHMI offers basic science jobs with the perk of a prestigious name

Scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

HHMI is a very prestigious name in the Medical Sciences field. This will no doubt be a boon to building a resume that will help to land that coveted post-graduate job. Compensation is better than average for non-profit research, but is not up to par with the money being made by those who go into the Biotech realm. Benefits were not offered for this postion, but a travel stipend was provided and I was given weekly food allowances. In general, the laboratories were modern and stocked with mostly new equipment. You are given almost an unlimited account for laboratory purchases.

Cons

As is the case with nearly all jobs in the Biomedical world, a Bachelors degree lone will not allow to advance through the ranks at HHMI. While the work atmosphere is generally positive, there are a fair amount of disgruntled employees - especially among the post-docs who were not offered grants and now work as glorified lab techs. In addition, the multi-ethnic nature of the work force can lead to frequent miscommunication and sometimes becomes unbearable. If you can, I would try to find employment in the biotech industry before considering a job at HHMI. In industry you will find that your research efforts are more concentrated than they are at HHMI.

3.0

Jun 11, 2008

Being a post-doc is tough, HHMI makes it a little easier.

postdoctoral fellow

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The resources available are simply top-notch. And unlike many organizations, HHMI treats post-docs like human beings and gives us benefits (401K! good health insurance! - for you and your family). HHMI also has equipment funds that result in it being quite simple to get your hands on the latest and greatest expensive toys. You'll love playing with brand new 454 sequencing machines, and $80K FPLCs.

Cons

HHMI cuts post-docs off at 6 years. In theory, this shortens the "transitional" period of a post-doc. In practice, it cuts post-docs off, and ends work that could result in an academic job. Their hearts are in the right place, but it's a flawed practice.

Viewing 457 - 459 of 459 Reviews

Jobs at Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Administrative Coordinator

Postdoctoral Scientist

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Howard Hughes Medical Institute reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

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Review of an academic technician position

HHMI offers basic science jobs with the perk of a prestigious name

Being a post-doc is tough, HHMI makes it a little easier.

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