The work at Exponent is absolutely grueling and non stop. Employees are passively expected to be on call 24/7 and on vacation. Few people use vacation time because the work environment is constant pressure to maintain metrics for work.
Overall, it is not a good career option - the exposure to actual industry a PhD gets is very, very shallow. As a technical person, the positions will not train you in industry on an in depth level that is expected of a PhD. At Exponent you will gain few translatable skills by working at Exponent - just brief exposures to low level science. On a consultant level, you will gain few usable executive leadership experiences because the company's understanding is that everyone needs to be self sufficient. Mentoring is minimal, especially outside of programs that a few employees get.
The pay is below what a PhD candidate can get. The company acts as though it pays in prestige.
Exponent is generally regarded as a place of under experienced people who are 4-5 years out from their degree. It can get difficult to find a job outside of Exponent since the experience of a sometimes consultant, sometimes engineer isn't applicable broadly.
