employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Yale University

Is this your company?

for trainees, choosing a supportive PI is important - Associate Research Scientist Yale University Employee Review

4.0
Sep 20, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

For graduate students and postdocs, who your advisor is will be the one factor that determines your happiness, so take time to choose wisely. (Of course, that's true for anyplace.) There are tons of smart people around, so you can always find collaborators or people to bounce ideas off of. There are many opportunities to check out seminars / events outside of your specialty. Yale has made some effort to increase professional development, at least for staff. For postdoctoral trainees, there is a postdoctoral association and other groups related to career networking (CNSPY or Biomed Career council), and outreach (Science Diplomats) you can join. There is an office of postdoctoral affairs which may be helpful depending on the situation. I have met some former postdocs who transitioned into careers in administration, and for those types of jobs Yale will often promote from within.

Cons

Some labs or research projects may be unstructured, or roles not clearly defined depending on the lab. Some labs are pressure cookers (shouldn't be a surprise at a place like Yale). There is a lot of bureaucracy dealing with grants, probably similar to other research universities I'm sure, but sometimes it's out of control. The office of career strategies (where you go for help with job searching) is currently undergoing restructuring and it seems postdocs and grad students are low on the totem pole. Of course, undergrads are the ones paying tuition in part for that but hopefully there will be staff hired who will be dedicated to these populations.

Explore other reviews about Yale University

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The BBS Umbrella program is fantastic - allows people to switch between tracks (not the easiest, but the option for this flexibility is nice) and it houses many fantastic departments with strong support for their students and faculty. The Department of Cell Biology was amazing. Faculty mentors (not always, but way more often) felt like colleagues that listen to you and are "in the weeds" with you. Major shout out to the BCMM Holy Trinity (probably moved at this point to the new building) that fostered such a fun work environment and trustworthy mentorship. Note the "Con" below, but it is also important to mention that many of the faculty that I worked with were supportive of my (and others') pursuit of other career paths. Also, the ratings below reflect my opinions after the Union was put into place.

Cons

Both Yale and the academic departments could do a better job preparing their students for alternative career paths. The culture is still definitely leaning towards the academic route despite the increasingly fewer number of faculty positions available each year. There will seldomly be pushback to the pursuit of other career paths, but this pursuit has to be 100% innately driven for each candidate. In contrast, the culture externally influences people to naturally go the academic route.

4.0
Jul 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good position for people taking gap years

Cons

Experience in the job depends on the position

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All