postdoctoral fellow

research fellow

fellow

staff scientist

research scientist

National Institutes of Health

I was extremely proud to call this my place of work for 12 years. Though the culture is being seismically changed, and I can't speak to what will happen to it in the future, it is a place of dedicated scientists and administrative staff who have the best interests of the public at heart. It is, unfortunately, now being overshadowed by political agendas, but in the past, has been very supportive of creating career paths where individuals could grow. The institutes could be demanding, slow to change or adopt efficiencies, and the administrative teams that worked within them often had to build bridges and soothe egos of this individual or that, but this is not unusual in any hierarchy. In all, the NIH was a place where the vast majority of the employees, from the newest, entry level person to the most seasoned, and crankiest researcher, all cared about the mission and the fact that it was saving people from pain, suffering and death every single day. When I would conduct stay interviews, that was ALWAYS the number one reason that people stuck around: connection to the mission. On the job, the hardest part was sometimes feeling like you were babysitting someone with a lot of degrees who didn't want to attend a mandatory training, but now the hardest part of the job is worrying about what we will all do if NIH is not able to continue its essential work. NIH has always been at the forefront of trying to create inclusivity, and when they got things wrong, trying again. It is a management team that believes in experimentation, after all, and the scientific method doesn't exist without feedback. As the employees scatter to the wind and the agency is downsized, I can only hope that they take their attitude about how to manage such an important agency with them into new roles: any place they land will be made the better for it. 

A typical day at the NIH/NIAID/SRP was independently performing and managing a wide range of activities affecting the Scientific Review Program (SRP) and to relieve the management team of day-to-day administrative functions such as entering peer review meetings into the RIMS database a planning and tracking system of scientific initiatives, archiving documents for completed peer review meetings utilizing the "Dashboard" that summarizes workloads, managed timecards for SRP staff of their annual leave and sick leave balances, entered registrations for scientists to attend conferences and paid with NIH Visa purchase card, maintained a detailed travel/training chart for budget expenses, onboarding of new employees, administrator of LMS in-house training courses, entered performance contracts, calendar invitations for management and reminders of very important meetings and handled the logistics.  Planned ahead to reserve conference space for team get-togethers.  I have learned the importance of this Institute to ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases that affects not only our country's health needs, but global health as well.  I have enjoyed working in a very team-oriented environment, all staff eager to help each other to meet the goals of the mission.  Management recognized extra effort going the extra mile by awarding staff for those who achieved more than expected results.

A typical day at work would involve interacting with various levels of management as well as internal and external customers. Being a research facility, NIH required a high demand for knowledge and dexterity. My day to day activities involved environmental control as well as utilities issues. Due to the age of the Buildings and the critical care of research specimens emergencies did arise from temperature issues to power issues. 

            Having those managers in place who knew the facilities first hand had its benefits. There were isolation valves that were not inclusive on the architectural drawings which certain staff members of management had full knowledge of due to their role as mechanics during their tenure. There were also training given to employees to handle high pressure situations as well as critical conditions which involved life safety practices as well as hazmat preparedness. 
            
            The Culture of the workplace was team work. There were no Big I's or little u's when it came to tasks that needed to be complete. I watched my COO's and Department heads roll up their sleeves and get involved with tasks that required skill sets of mechanics and leaders. 

            The hardest part of the job was maintaining focus due to long hours and not enough man power to handle the everyday tasks. Finding the right talent to fill the needed vacancies was quite the challenge. The attitude of the company is to utilize our best skills at all times maintaining SOP's and key performance matrix in order to meet the high demand of our customers.

A typical day at work out NIH consisted of, entering the facilty before 7 AM. Upon arrival I changed into my scrubs and dressed in the apporopriate PPE to enter the animal facility. Once in the animal facility you begin by preparing all your moring supplies for the morning AM animal check. your supplies consisted of a bulk truck with autoclaved shoebox cages. Then you prepare water from the water station. After I would take my supplies down to my room, then start my AM check, which consisted of checking evey cage in my room for abnormalities in any animal. If any were found they were documented and given to the facility vet. During the morning Am check you sometimes have to check for certain thing in certain animals for example, a Dam that is about to give birth that is having complication, you would notify a tech, write up the finding in a log and take the animal down to the tech office for treatment or for an assesment. After the AM morning checks were done, I would do my routine daily changing of cages.
After Lunch I would come back to have a CT meeting jsut to get the census of how eveyone is doing for the day. after the meeting I would then go back to my animal room to finish up the last of my changing or the weans that i would do in the evenings. After that at 2 oclock I would start my PM checks, they consist of the same SOP's and task as in the AM checks. At the end of the day I would then check all my paper work to make sure eveything was signed and checked off on, and I would leave.

My mentor for my lab position is always willing to teach and answer any questions I have.  During this laboratory opportunity, I mainly focused on fluid/solute transport through the Lacunar-cannicular system in order to develop new treatment methods of common bone or joint diseases such as osteoarthritis.  The management at this position was very caring and believes it is important to always keep learning as well as to explore medical science.  The culture in this position is extremely collaborative because each member has their own strengths that when combined form our team.  The hardest part of preforming my job is the heavy workload of constantly reading articles as well as always having an experiment in progress.  However, these challenges are also a very enjoyable part of my job due to my constant desire to learn.  The most enjoyable part of my job is how exciting it is to complete a project and review the results because in order to strive toward future advancements in medicine are discovered at the front lines of research.

Performed a portfolio analysis with previously approved grant data towards the development of a new/proposed health disparities framework relative to the diverse elderly population. Developed a launch plan (web-based design plan) of the health disparities framework, consulted with IT and computer design professionals and contractors to have the framework published online. Worked to decide where the data will be shown once published on NIA’s website.
Maintained seamless communication with both co-workers and superiors in an effort to complete the project and keep them abreast during the process. Fostered partnerships and collaborations to acquire applicable information about the different sectors within the field of public health, health policy and global health. Worked to integrate that knowledge while gaining new insight into the project at hand.
Participated in a Healthy People 2020 Mid-term Review on Capitol Hill to gain more perspective and insight on how policy operates, is enacted and NIA’s role/contribution. Ascertained knowledge in policy development, implementation, and analysis

The research I did for Purdue University involved working with ADHD kids at different schools in the Lafayette area. It was a double blind controlled study. The kids were either put in the art room or in the gym where they had various activities. My job was to code the kids behaviors. We used diagnostic techniques we learned in training prior to the program starting. My supervisors were very helpful and I learned a lot from them. I learned a great deal about research projects and what they entail. I gained a great deal of responsibility throughout the time I was there and I collaborated with the supervisors on a daily basis. The hardest part of my job was some of the kids were very difficult. They protested a lot and it was hard to keep them interested. However, my favorite part was seeing the improvement they made over the year. Many improved tremendously and it is such a gift to know that I made a positive impact in a child's life.

A lot of my experience is lab specific but overall I had an amazing time as a short-term intern here. The NIH is an amazing science community, they were extremely supportive of my career goals and aspirations. They genuinely pushed me to be better and were proud of me when I got into a grad program. They tailored my experiences so that I could fit as much as I could into the time I spent there. The specific lab that I was assigned to was exceptionally supportive and wonderful as a team. I would absolutely consider going back and working at the NIH in the future. 

The bureaucracy can slow some processes down, but overall the place followed strong scientific principals and everyone cares a lot about their job and the well-being of others. Also, being part of a government agency, they are subject to political changes, especially recently. However, outside of that this was a generally great place to work. 


What is the best part of working at the company?
Environment, location, infrastructure 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
As it is a government institution,  unfortunately there is a lot of people who get in through family and relatives, sometimes the hiring and treatment is not the most fair due to that. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There are lots of people who work hard and are very smart and talented, but there is also a huge amount of others who jus5 collect a check since they most likely will never get fired (government employees,  contractors can be fired without reason)

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Entering was nice since there many entrances, finding parking could be difficult but the campus is beautiful and walking to your building is nice. Then go to my work area and start work, also taking a break is nice, the dinning hall is good and the food is great. After finishing the days work we all leave around the same time

Working at NIH, particularly within the OCIO, was an incredible experience. The agency fosters a collaborative, mission-driven environment, and leadership is generally supportive of innovation and professional growth. Work-life balance is excellent, and there are opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technology and policy initiatives, especially in areas like digital accessibility and IT modernization.

That said, recent upheaval in federal employment following the administration change has introduced some job insecurity, which is affecting many agencies, not just NIH. If stability is a top priority, it’s something to consider.

Overall, once the issues are resolved, an amazing place to work, especially for those passionate about public service, healthcare, and technology. I’d highly recommend it! 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Postdoctoral fellow 21 salaries reported	$80,359 per year
Research fellow 8 salaries reported	$92,975 per year
Fellow 5 salaries reported	$50,820 per year
Staff scientist 5 salaries reported	$157,661 per year
Research scientist 4 salaries reported	$147,750 per year

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