post-doctoral fellow

postdoctoral fellow

student intern

sous chef

research technician

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Most of what I do for CSHL is setting up multiple dining areas for brunches, lunches, and dinners. We serve the scientists, researchers, and other scholars who come in for meetings. We serve about 200-500 people throughout the day so the people who work behind the scenes pull together and make sure they are doing the best they can to make everyone satisfied with their dining experience. The people in the kitchen are putting together trays and dishes non-stop, the servers are responsible for bringing out the food, and the utility personnel are responsible for managing dishes. During these activities management is running around making sure that all the staff are alright and also checks in with all the guests seeing that they are satisfied with their meal. Before we set up these rooms we are able to eat lunch or dinner for free. The only drawback is that sometimes the food is cold or not fully cooked, but for really major events we are served the best food. The only hard part of the day is switching between dining setups throughout the day. Overall this job has treated me very well, there aren't too many things I dislike about working here because this job has helped me to financially get through college and other expenses.

CSHL has a stunning campus, excellent benefits, helpful people, and good communication from upper management/the Lab as a whole. The pay felt very fair for an entry level position when I started fresh out of my undergrad, and I was able to receive annual raises, up to around 7% if I remember correctly. Communicating with non-research departments like HR and payroll was always easy to do, and generally went quickly & positively. There were always nice events going on around campus, both professional & social, and the on-campus gym was one of the awesome perks I really enjoyed having access to. My coworkers and almost everyone I met that worked on campus was wonderful, kind, intelligent, and helpful. I really loved working with such an international group of people, and got the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of scientific professionals. 
My only advice would be to interview current and past members of whatever lab you are joining to see what the culture is like, and why people left the lab. Doing this would've probably saved me a lot of conflict and pain with my PI, but unfortunately it appears to be a common issue in academia. Always speak up if you feel you aren't being treated properly! There are a lot of wonderful faculty, postdocs, students, and techs to support you here.

After spending the better part of a year working at CSHL I can confidently say that this is one of the worst jobs available to young scientists looking to begin their career. The location is pretty, yes, but the work is thankless and you are treated as inferior to everyone that surrounds you. People don't acknowledge you when in the same small room, you are not included in any of the research going on around you and you will never be applauded for doing the right thing but god help you if you make a mistake. Leadership across the board is confused in their roles and do not trust or even like the heads of the other facilities. The work is demanding and not reflected in the salary of the position. If you're looking for a position to get started in, look elsewhere I'm begging you because before you know it, you'll be here for nearly a year, too tired to keep going in, but too tired to send out an updated resume at the same time. But yeah, the food is okay I guess.

CSHL is an historic and invigorating place to work. The science being done, opportunities to learn and collaborate, and camaraderie between all employees are unparalleled. The campus is beautiful and well-kept. That being said, this is still an academic lab, with a lot of the baggage that brings. Benefits get worse each year. Cost-of-living increases, which were once an annual occurrence, have not been given since 2024. On top of that, employer retirement contributions were cut for 2026. This is especially painful being located in one of the most expensive parts of the country. Leadership has been open about these cuts and the reasons for them, and I know they are working to address the root causes which are affecting all researchers currently.

-EVENT SUPERVISOR: responsible for ensuring proper food preparation and food service for over 300 customers on a daily basis serving both breakfast and lunch. Responsible for preparing, delivering and setting up regularily scheduled special lunches and short-notice special lunches for senior leadership and VIP’s. Responsible for banquet preparation of all cold served dishes for up to 500 attendees.
LEAD BARTENDER: utilized high levels of energy and superior multi-tasking abilities to serve customers in this fast-paced establishment. Works the main bar on a regular basis and also works all special events serving high level laboratory employees, visiting VIP’s and well-renowned benefactors of the labs. TIPS certified.

The Laboratory Animal Resources department of this workplace is a disaster. If you are not liked by certain managers, you can expect to never move up. This place holds a prestigious name that is tainted by favoritism and politics. Personal friends of management are moved up and catered to, while deserving employees are neglected, and are relocated when they speak out against management. 

The science done at this laboratory is wonderful, and awe inspiring. It is a shame, however, that all that science relies on the Lab Animal Resources department, in which animals are blatantly neglected, and management turns a blind eye in order not to reprimand personal friends.

The individual labs are a bit difficult to break though, but most labs work well together.  The atmosphere is academic with a fairly strong work ethic.  The Lab works hard to improve the lives of its postdocs and graduate students and gives easy access to education and top-notch scientists.  The pay at first glance appears competitive, but because Long Island is so expensive, it turns out not be.  Good Benefits, however.

If you need temp job for now its alright. no future. there pay scale in what is expected does not match what you get paid in the work you do . low pay in this day and age, no union. 

some mgmt arnt nice people, and take advantage ..
sometimes uncomfortable  environment  when your always being watched.

Starting early am to collect lab wares to be deconed and cleaned and loaded into mechanical washers then into autoclaves.Cooled sterilised labware then distributed to specific laboratories  in the building.The management is fair and flexible.Good workplace culture friendly.Hardest part of job was getting work completed in the daily time frame.

Office environment is casual but professional. The work culture is friendly and mostly understanding when issues arise. The hardest part of the job is scheduling time as the researchers work off hours and have a busier schedule.The most enjoyable part is meeting people from all over the country as well as international.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Post-doctoral fellow 11 salaries reported	$74,796 per year
Postdoctoral fellow 7 salaries reported	$75,271 per year
Student intern 6 salaries reported	$17.75 per hour
Sous chef 7 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Research technician 1 salary reported	$47,225 per year

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