Is Salk Institute a good company to work for?

Salk Institute has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 303 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 3% over the last 12 months. 72% of employees would recommend working at Salk Institute to a friend and 62% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Salk Institute have been left by employees working as Research Assistant , Postdoctoral Research Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow .

Does Salk Institute pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Salk Institute employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Salk Institute. This rating has improved by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Salk Institute?

72% of Salk Institute employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Salk Institute 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Salk Institute?

Postdoctoral Fellow (36) , Research Assistant (30) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (16) , Research Associate (14) , Lab Technician (7) , Research Assistant I (7) , Senior Research Associate (7) , Research Assistant II (5) , Research Assistant III (5) , Director (4) , Intern (4) , Graduate Student (3) , Lab Assistant (3) , Researcher (3) , Scientist (3)

What are the pros of working at Salk Institute according to real employee reviews?

"Some friendly people among the odd ones" ((in 27 reviews)); "Great location, beautiful campus, meaningful work, great colleagues." ((in 11 reviews)); "Awesome coworkers and great location" ((in 6 reviews)); "Relaxed work environment" ((in 4 reviews)); "Great view and decent benefits package." ((in 3 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Salk Institute according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and overtime for postdoc" ((in 31 reviews)); "Salary is low." ((in 27 reviews)); "Doesn't have many benefits compare to school" ((in 12 reviews)); "No retirement matching for postdocs" ((in 4 reviews)); "poor salary, poor benefits, and communication not always great." ((in 4 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Salk Institute locations?

La Jolla , San Diego , New York , La Jolla Shores

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Salk Institute

Salk Institute reviews

3.9

72% would recommend to a friend

(282 total reviews)

Jerry Joyce

64% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Culture & values

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

3.3

Career opportunities

2.8

Compensation and benefits

Salk Institute has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 282 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Salk Institute employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

282 reviews

5.0

Sep 26, 2025

great place for research

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

community, cross lab collaboration, opportunities to be published

Cons

minimal growth but great stepping stone towards grad school

4.0

Sep 18, 2025

World-class science in a beautiful setting

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Opportunity to work alongside incredibly talented researchers and dedicated administrative staff; exposure to cutting-edge scientific discoveries; the campus is stunning

Cons

leadership changes; staff turnover; being in a non-profit setting is challenging in current economic environment and creates uncertainty

4.0

Aug 14, 2025

Salk Institute

Research assistant i

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very good team environment and research

Cons

The pay is not ideal

Viewing 7 - 9 of 282 Reviews

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Jobs at Salk Institute

Senior Director, People & Culture

Research Software Engineer I - Center for AI and Research Computing (AIRC)

Executive Director, Information Technology

HR Administrator - Office of People & Culture

Research Assistant II - Laboratory of Dr. Julie Law