Pros
- Very interesting research projects from a variety of fields.
- Relaxed and low-pressure work environment where you are free to drive the direction of your own research.
- Good IT infrastructure, including very powerful PCs and an in-house high-performance cluster.
- Generally friendly people.
Cons
- No onboarding and support from team leaders. New PhD students are essentially thrown into a new research field and expected to start publishing papers.
- Teamwork is minimal to nonexistent. Each researcher is assigned an individual project, leaving almost no opportunity for direct collaboration within or across departments.
- Management often shifts responsibility from one person to another, and work rules vary significantly between group leaders.
- Only time-limited contracts for people that are doing the actual research.
- Slow and inefficient bureaucracy.
FUNNY QUIRKS
- Not allowed to use a shared coffee machine because there are no more “spots” on the coffee list.
- Offices in the upper floors heat up to 35 degrees in the summer; however, ventilators cannot be bought because of fire safety rules.
- Work events where everyone pays for their own food.
- No work laptops for remote work. Just use your own.