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MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Part of MIT

Engaged employer

Decent Place to Learn - Researcher MIT Lincoln Laboratory Employee Review

4.0
14 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is a lot of campus collaboration with other researchers. There is a drive to publish and open-source your work. For many researchers, the ability to share your work with the world is a great incentive that private companies often do not offer.

Cons

The open-sourcing process requires multiple levels of approval which is quite annoying. You are often placed on multiple projects each year meaning your time is split between competing priorities.

Explore other reviews about MIT Lincoln Laboratory

5.0
3 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It can vary a lot from group to group, but in general, wonderful place with wonderful people and lots of interesting work going on. Excellent benefits and lots of flexibility to explore different projects.

Cons

Little opportunity for advancement in terms of rank and compensation once you reach technical staff. Additionally (again varies from group to group) expectations of what a staff member does can be unclear and there can be a light sink-or-swim nature to the work, again depending on the group you're in.

4.0
17 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Worked with some of the smartest people I’ve ever known. Great opportunities to learn from your coworkers and an atmosphere that encourages learning, including a well-run technical education program. Fabulous support staff and technicians that can get seemingly impossible things done quickly. Great resources and lab spaces (if a bit dated). The nature of the work encourages good work/life balance. Fantastic benefits (though the pay is low).

Cons

No/limited opportunities for advancement makes this a hard place to work mid-career. Good engineers are promoted to be mediocre managers. Every program is under-funded, under-staffed, and over schedule. Bad managers are shuffled around but rarely fired.

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