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 been stable over the past 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 23 reviews)); "Beautiful Campus and Great Scientists from around the world." ((in 10 reviews)); "notch science research, iconic design location, great colleagues, collegial atmosphere for collaboration." ((in 7 reviews)); "Awesome coworkers and great location" ((in 6 reviews)); "Great view and decent benefits package." ((in 4 reviews))

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

"Low pay and overtime for postdoc" ((in 33 reviews)); "Salary is low." ((in 27 reviews)); "Doesn't have many benefits compare to school" ((in 12 reviews)); "Recent new leadership has killed the community, culture and employee satisfaction." ((in 4 reviews)); "poor salary, poor benefits, and communication not always great." ((in 4 reviews))

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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 and inclusion

3.7

Culture and 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 and biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

282 reviews

5.0

19 May 2026

Great research environment

Senior staff scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

World-class research Great environment Friendly staff

Cons

Lack of growth potential for young researchers Lack of mentoring support Not enough interactions with staff

5.0

18 May 2026

Good workplace but poor pay and management

Lab tech

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

great work place good pepole

Cons

not enough pay annd horrible mamnagement

4.0

28 Apr 2026

Great location and meaningful work, but high turnover

Executive coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Great location, beautiful campus, meaningful work, great colleagues.

Cons

Not enough upward movement. Newer leadership have made unpopular decisions that caused massive turnover.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 282 Reviews

Jobs at Salk Institute

Web Developer (Communications)

Research Assistant I - Dr. Julie Law

Grants & Sponsored Projects Administrator III

La Jolla, CA

USD 95K - USD 110K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job