Is Caltech (California) a good company to work for as a Postdoctoral Associate?

Postdoctoral Associate professionals working at Caltech (California) have rated their employer with 4.2 out of 5 stars in 150 Glassdoor reviews. This is an average score with the overall rating of Caltech (California) employees being 4.2 out of 5 stars. Search open Postdoctoral Associate Jobs at Caltech (California) now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Postdoctoral Associate interview questions at Caltech (California) .

Does Caltech (California) pay Postdoctoral Associate employees well?

Postdoctoral Associate professionals rate their compensation and benefits at Caltech (California) with 3.4 out of 5 stars based on 150 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 11.1% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Postdoctoral Associate salaries at Caltech (California).

How happy are Postdoctoral Associate professionals working at Caltech (California)?

96% of Postdoctoral Associate employees at Caltech (California) would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has increased by 11% in the past 12 months. Postdoctoral Associate professionals have also rated Caltech (California) with a 4.0 rating for work-life-balance, 4.4 rating for diversity and inclusion, 4.0 rating for culture and values and 4.5 rating for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Caltech (California)?

Graduate Student (71) , Postdoctoral Fellow (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (56) , Postdoctoral Scholar (44) , PhD Student (42) , PhD Graduate Student (40) , Research Assistant (35) , Postdoctoral Researcher (27) , Researcher (21) , Research Scientist (17) , Teaching Assistant (16) , Administrative Assistant (15) , Research Technician (15) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (14) , Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (13)

What are the pros of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"People are smart and nice." ((in 112 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 62 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 45 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 34 reviews)); "Flexible hours and most of the projects are interesting" ((in 16 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"Low salary and lots of work" ((in 39 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 19 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 12 reviews)); "Bad culture internally (in terms of staff; things may be different in terms of research / academics)." ((in 7 reviews)); "Limited diversity." ((in 6 reviews))

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Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) Postdoctoral Associate reviews

4.2

96% would recommend to a friend

(150 total reviews)

Dr. Thomas F. Rosenbaum

99% approve of CEO

90% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Career opportunities

4.4

Diversity & inclusion

4.2

Senior management

4.0

Culture & values

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.4

Compensation and benefits

Postdoctoral Associate employees have rated Caltech (California) with 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 150 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Postdoctoral Associate professionals have an excellent working experience there. Caltech (California) is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Postdoctoral Associate professionals compared to other employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

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Reviews by job title

150 reviews

4.0

Jul 20, 2026

Unique environment but facing funding and salary issues

Postdoctoral research associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Experience depends on Department and Professor. HSS is supportive of their employees, some great admins. Career development programs and other educational opportunities. Lots of brilliant researchers. Grad student and postdoc union.

Cons

The university is no longer supportive of HSS. Salary is typical for this position, which is bad. Departments are somewhat siloed, not so much collaboration. Federal funding cuts are having bad effects on operations and research.

5.0

Jun 17, 2026

Great research opportunities with brilliant colleagues

Postdoctoral researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent place to do high level research and connect with some of the brightest minds in the world

Cons

No general cons to discuss. But finding decent affordable accomodation nearby can be a challenge.

4.0

Mar 4, 2026

Peaceful place to do research

Postdoctoral researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There are turtles in the ponds

Cons

Pasadena is a bit pricy for postdoc. No cheap restaurant around campus within 5 min walk. (Depends on where your office is at.)

Viewing 1 - 3 of 150 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltech (California)

Senior Research Associate

Senior Research Associate

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

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Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) Postdoctoral Associate reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Unique environment but facing funding and salary issues

Great research opportunities with brilliant colleagues

Peaceful place to do research

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