The Scientist: University of Copenhagen among the best places to work 2009

26 February 2009

The 2009 Best Places to Work survey in The Scientist places the University of Copenhagen second on a top ten list of the international research institutions that offer the best working conditions for postdocs outside of USA. The annual survey focuses on researchers in life science. Number one on the list is the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany.

Readers’ verdict

The survey is based on a questionnaire answered by 3,438 of The Scientist’s readers. The respondents, who are postdocs, have answered questions regarding their satisfaction with working conditions such as pay, access to equipment, networking opportunities etc.

- It is good to hear that our young life science researchers see the University of Copenhagen as a good place to work, and that we do well in an international bench-marking. But we are very aware that we continuingly have to work on attracting and keeping excellent researchers. For that reason, working conditions and working environment will continue to be an area of priority in the future, says Rector Ralf Hemmingsen.

Life sciences

The survey refers to postdocs that work in the relatively broad research field of life sciences. The postdoc title refers to a fixed-term appointment, usually with a primary focus on research and to a lesser degree teaching.

Life sciences covers such research areas as biology, medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food stuffs and nutrition, biotechnology, public health, and environment and chemistry. At the University of Copenhagen research and teaching in life sciences is conducted at The Faculty of Health Sciences, The Faculty of Life Sciences, The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and The Faculty of Science.