Great stepping stone to start research at a small company
Pros
Gave bonuses for COVID-BSL-3 related research at first then cut them down, great place to get BSL-3 experience, when actually hired on as a full employee, the benefits include 401K, legal, health, and dental and are very comprehensive. They also offer tuition assistance when fully hired.
Cons
Contractors and company lags and takes forever to actually hire you, also they do not offer benefits the first 3 months of working when hired. It is hard to move or step up in any way, and also researchers aren't valued or considered. When the pandemic happened, we worked overtime in very unsafe conditions - ex: no social distance seating provided and no masks at first for the first half of the pandemic. Animal care staff is EXTREMELY underpaid and overworked with unsanitary situations, there is a very high turn around. There was no salary increase going from a Bachelors degree to Masters degree. On the research side, senior management does not really take the time to hear employee needs or consider long-term company growth plans. There was no work-life balance for research or animal care once the pandemic began.
