Research has always been a challenging and creative venture—requiring some luck and a lot of hard work. But in recent years, as the National Institutes of Health budget has failed to keep up with inflation, even established researchers with successful labs are having a hard time securing funding for their work. To add to these pressures, the past decade has seen institutions, especially in the university setting, burdening researchers with larger administrative staffs, which see research as a means to an end—money from the commercialization of products—rather than the pursuit of knowledge.
For the past 10 years, The Scientist’s Best Places to Work in Academia surveys have followed changing trends as reported by academic researchers, asking them to highlight the aspects of work they value the most—such as support, access to great research, and collaborations—as well as areas they wish their institutions would improve, such as appropriate family-care policies. Back in 2003, researchers around the world valued relationships with their colleagues and collaborators above all else; next came a desire for strong core facilities. In this year’s survey, while collegiality and core facilities remain highly important, the second most desirable factor is good health-care coverage; the first is the personal satisfaction their workplace offers.
