research engineer

engineer

senior research engineer

computer scientist

technician

Southwest Research Institute

Speaking from a contractor/tech point of view, engineers need not apply. Depending where on the institute you work will affect your experience. I had a lot of flexibility with days off, just due to the lead tech being a good dude. You get 5 PTO days a year as a contractor. There was no micro-managing in my area, which was a positive. The cons would be the pay is lackluster, you won't find growth within this company. This is a good way to get by temporarily. They will renew your contract automatically because its a revolving door at SWRI. Some days you might be working outside, other days you may work inside on a dedicated project. You never really do the same thing, unless you're assigned to shift work. Shifts are 12 hour days sometimes for 2 weeks straight. That's where the flexibility ends. Culture wise you will find the techs stay with the techs and the engineers stay with the engineers. Hardest part of the job was dealing with engineers who lack common sense. Management doesn't exist and won't hound you for anything, they are up in their own world. Management forgot who I was multiple times at meetings, and re-introduced me about 3 times over the 10 months I worked at this company. I learned a lot more hands on skills than I anticipated I would. If you know how to turn a wrench you're already on the right track. All in all if you're a patient person, and need a job to get by then this is a good fit. Even if you can't turn a wrench, they're good techs that will teach you. Highly advise having safety as your main goal, some projects are more dangerous than others. Also be warned, they do lay off contractors before anyone else, if you don't have seniority as a contractor you will be on the chopping block to cut costs. SWRI is a non-profit organization so job security isn't there if the demand for oil & gas research slows down. 


I truly enjoy the work I do and the people I work with. It doesn’t feel like work to me—it’s more about spending time helping others and solving problems that impact their ability to do their job efficiently.

It brings me a great sense of fulfillment to support people in their daily tasks and help them perform at their best in their roles and responsibilities.

Every team and division has its own way of operating, and there are different approaches to policy and leadership. Some teams run smoothly and harmoniously, without unnecessary conflict, while others may have more challenges in terms of management styles.

In some roles, especially in support, there can be divisions where communication dynamics aren’t as positive. For example, when interacting with other teams, the value of your contribution can sometimes be overlooked based on role or perception.

For instance, at a work event, if you’re sitting with others and the topic of roles comes up, the conversation can shift drastically based on how your team is perceived. If you’re not in a "revenue-generating" role, it can sometimes feel like you're not being fully respected, and you might sense a subtle shift in how you're treated.

This type of interaction isn't unique to one area, but is a common occurrence across the organization. While the company has a long history and many established practices, it would be great to see more growth and evolution that prioritizes the well-being and value of all employees.


Working for this company has been quite an experience. They have provided me with the opportunity to work with some of the most dangerous chemicals on earth as well as sending me to training it places I would never have gone on my own including one of the most exclusively remote locations that has not been visited by too many civilians. If it were not for the limited number of satellite offices, soon to be zero in Oregon, I would remain with this company. I just cannot seem to make myself leave my beloved Oregon for San Antonio, where our headquarters is located.

Safety, safety, safety! Safety and compliance are the number one priority at our site and we have done an amazing job adhering to those standards. This is something I take home with me every day which drives my family crazy at times but when you are bombarded with it every day, it tends to stick with you.

The people I work with, what can I say but that they are the best and make those tough days much easier to deal with. Most days are pretty routine but there are days when we get overwhelmed with projects. Sometimes the entire department is required to be present to observe and support testing evolutions. These can make for some long days. Those days are numbered now as our project gets closer and closer to site demolition. It will be hard to say goodbye to the people I have been working with for over a decade. It has been incredible and I hope to find that same feeling of satisfaction and family with my next job.

A typical day involved:
• Performing safety checklists of laboratory facility and RCRA inspections of SAA and 90-day waste storage areas.
• Collecting, cataloging, and organizing samples for analysis.
• Analyzing samples using Agilent 6890 Thermal Desorption GC-FPD instruments.
• Using LIMS and Chemstation programs.
• Managing hazardous waste in accordance with regulations.
• Analyzing process samples for pH, density, specific gravity. 
• Compiling data packets per QC standards.

Periodic Duties included:
•Training in extracting and analyzing samples for agent presence with GC/MS/XSD instruments.
• Emergency response.
• Forklift operations.


The most enjoyable part of my job at SwRI was being part of a team. In my previous job, I performed 75% of my duties in a lab by myself. This job gave me the opportunity to work side by side with others, as a team, supporting each other in accomplishing our goals. 
One of the most important things I learned working as a team member, is that good communication skills are essential for the safe, compliant, and efficient completion of tasks. Communication is what moves all efforts in a forward direction to achieving company and personal goals, which results in team unity and overall client satisfaction.

Recorded vital data concerning restricted protocol. Samples were obtained within a timely manner according to sponsors. Mass balances were performed. Responsible for loading and measuring out catalyzes. Accountable for maintaining pressures, flow, temperatures and feed rates. Shift summaries were conducted after every shift to ensure procedures were followed and safety measures were executed. Samples were taken, marked and recorded within every hour to discover the concentration of the product.

Learned how to work within a team and assign job duties. Learned how to read pressures, flow gauges, and adjust feed rates.

Management was along side within with us. They never left and always check up on us to ensure safely precautions were being implemented.

My co-workers were knowledgeable and never left shift until everyone was there to fill there spot. They helpful and were willing to explain different processes if one didn't understand.

The hardest part of my job was adjusting to the work schedule. I was assigned graveyard shift.

The people that worked along side of me were easy to get along with. They were easy to talk to and very sociable.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is essentially structured as several small businesses (divisions) competing/cooperating to win projects.Each division is different, and even within divisions, departments can be drastically different. As such, my experience is not representative of SwRI as a whole.

A lot of managers are engineers who received some management training and are thrust into management positions. As such, the management can be poor at times.

If you are passionate about what you are working on, then you probably won't mind not making as much money as you could if you were at a different company. This was not exactly the case for me. I did not appreciate doing software development for a mechanical department and getting paid a mechanical engineer's salary. Especially since there was not much room for advancement in my skillset. Excelling in software development did not help me get a raise. Bringing in projects is what they really valued.

If you are a PhD who is passionate about his work and able to bring in lots of projects, you will probably enjoy this place.

SwRI employs a lot of smart people and has an awesome intramural sports program. A lot of cool work is also being done. However, it's not for everyone.

Overall, this is a pretty stable company that you can stay with for your entire career. Many people work here for 20+ years. Salaries are okay, but not stellar. The insurance and retirement plans are very good. They offer a 403(b) plan (essentially the same as a 401(k)) and automatically contribute 9% of your salary (out of the company's pocket) to your account, regardless of the amount you contribute yourself. This is much better than the matching plans most companies offer.

What a typical day at work is like varies greatly depending on which division you work for. Each division functions somewhat autonomously and has its own culture and management style. Work is generally project-dependent, and engineers/scientists/analysts at all levels are expected to help bring in new projects, though to what degree depends on your skillset and current workload.

There is also a cafeteria that offers subsidized meals on site, as well as a gym to which employees and spouses have free access.

A non-profit research and development company contracting with federal and state government entities such as the armed forces and other segments as well as private companies who seek help in creating new products and services. 

I enjoyed my time working there as a clerk where my day was never too boring in that I did a lot of different things that occupied my attention and helped the workday pass by fast. 

Most everyone was easy going and seemed to appreciate my help in my role as a clerk. It was fun and interesting place to work. Also people were interested in helping you do your job well by providing their experience as well as a program provided by the company to assist in tuition at local colleges and universities.

 As a PhD scientist I was able to leverage my academic field of study to work on interesting projects over an extremely diverse range of technical areas. Responsibilities include client acquisition and development, proposal preparation (technical and financial), project management and hands-on execution, and preparation of reports and intellectual property documentation and management. 
Most colleagues are intelligent and wonderful to work with. Managment in most business units are supportive but there are outliers who exploit their power and ruin careers. 

This place is a joke for being a Research Institute. Most of the practices and management are antiquated to say the least, the manager of the R&D Department (my supervisor), had no clue what agile was, very little bug tracking, and just recently adopted "version control" (serious, he used quotes to describe it). 

They do have some interesting departments including the space and science division, but for the most part people get hired here and stay until they die or retire or leave for greener pastures. This is lifer central and most of the upper management is well entrenched, they are not going to be adopting any modern software practices any time soon.

On the plus side, the atmosphere is pretty lax and if you can deal with the old school good old boy hierarchy its not bad if you don't want any real challenges.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Research engineer 11 salaries reported	$105,088 per year
Engineer 4 salaries reported	$29.00 per hour
Senior research engineer 4 salaries reported	$108,625 per year
Computer scientist 6 salaries reported	$111,184 per year
Technician 3 salaries reported	$29.67 per hour

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