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Survey: Fox Chase Named Among Best Places to Work for Postdocs

PHILADELPHIA (March 3, 2006) - A recent survey conducted by The Scientist places Fox Chase Cancer Center among the best places to work in academia for postdoctoral researchers. The Center was the top ranked institution in the Northeast region and ranked sixth overall in the U.S. Postdocs gave Fox Chase high marks when asked about factors relating to remuneration and compensation, funding, institutional factors, quality of family and personal life, and recreation and social life experiences while working at Fox Chase.

The survey yielded responses from postdocs at 151 institutions. Respondents were asked to assess their postdoc experience according to 48 criteria in 11 different areas by scoring positive statements. Answers were scored on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 = "Strongly agree", 1 = "Strongly disagree" and 3 = "Neither agree nor disagree". The criteria included statements relating to the lab's principal investigator, colleagues, department or division and the institution.

"Fox Chase Cancer Center recognizes that postdocs are our major intellectual work force, so we have created many benefits specifically for them such as housing, daycare, workshops, seminar series, etc.)," says Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., director of postdoctoral training programs at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "In contrast to other universities, postdocs typically compete with graduate, medical and undergraduate students for attention and resources, whereas at Fox Chase, we make more efforts to acknowledge that postdocs are our lifeblood, and the key to our research success."

The Scientist is an international trade magazine for laboratory researchers based in Philadelphia.