Great people, interesting work, sometimes challenging bureacracy - Research Scientist MIT Employee Review

4.0
22 Apr 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I attended MIT as a grad student and worked there for several months afterwards as a postdoc. I found my department to be very supportive and close knit, and the students, faculty, and admins were smart, friendly and kind. I also had some great interactions with other employees of the institute. For example, an additional water fountain was really needed in the student center to accommodate student events, and when I contacted facilities about it, they took care of it right away, and checked in with me throughout the process. I was so impressed!

Cons

After transitioning from being a student to being an employee, I ran into a couple of challenges. The first is that, while students are easily able to get their chosen name (as opposed to legal name) on their MIT IDs, the process is prohibitively difficult for employees, which can make things difficult for trans and nonbinary employees in particular. I also had an issue with my pay not being handled properly that had a large financial impact while it was ongoing, and my initial point of contact for that in payroll was very harsh and unempathetic. Overall, I was left with the impression that the institute provides a more supportive environment for students than for employees.

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5.0
10 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really good research opportunities to work on a project with major impact.

Cons

Issues heavily depend on groups.

4.0
19 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Brilliant colleagues A good degree of research independence Research funding sufficient for running experiments

Cons

Research divisions are mostly uncoordinated Administrative support is more reactive than proactive

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