Rockefeller University reviews

Little room for growth or advancement and low pay for NYC. Unless you live on the Upper East Side, the location is inconvenient. I worked here for over four years and while the scientific research piece was a plus, marks are low for culture, workplace toxicity, DEI, work/life balance, etc. I wish I could have stayed here longer based on the science alone, but something about being part of Rockefeller just didn't sit well with me after a while. My PI was of the more reasonable ones and I think that helped make this place more tolerable during my time there. Comments made on The Petition for Social Change at Rockefeller University signed by students and staff at the height of BLM provided a snapshot of what the culture here is really like. Many members of the community shared their experiences with systemic racism, discrimination, gender bias, racial profiling, micro-agressions, etc. Sadly, the student group who spearheaded the petition was asked to suppress the comments from the website so no one would see them. But the internet is forever and if you look hard enough, you will find them. Great scientific research happens here. It's unfortunate that the toxic culture ruins this institution.

- People’s individual experiences will depend highly on their department or lab. What I will say from my experience personally is that there’s really no system in place for dealing with problematic colleagues or toxic work environments. HR is toothless in these situations. Any resolution is almost solely up to the discretion of heads of lab, i.e. tenured professors who are practically untouchable and difficult to hold accountable. - Campus is far from most public transit - Faculty are extremely homogenous - No retirement benefits until 2 years of employment - The institution paid a hefty settlement for events from decades ago (see “Controversy” section on Wikipedia page). The controversy is horrible in and of itself, and due to the settlement, the university has tightened the purse strings, including for annual pay raises. - Not an actual con, per se, but it’s more of a research institute than a “university”. Yes, they do graduate PhD students (~40 a year), but there’s very little formal education or pedagogy offered at this institution. Students typically take classes at other institutions like Cornell and do not have to work as TA’s, as there are no undergraduate students. The university recently lost its accreditation from New York State and had to get accredited by a regional body.