administrative assistant

accountant

veterinary technician

postdoctoral research associate

member services representative

University of Wisconsin–Madison

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
NIH-FUNDED ONCOLOGY RESEARCHER
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
My aim as a scientist in top-ranked universities, has been to prevent and treat inflammation and cancer. Working in intensive and dynamic research environments, I have achieved success presenting and publishing with expert principal investigators. Cooperating with MDs, PhDs, and Medical Fellows, I bring dedication, enthusiasm and rigor to the exciting work of translational oncology research. I have a wide spectrum of experience in cancer therapy, including the analysis of molecular mechanisms in prevention and treatment.

RESEARCH INTEREST & BACKGROUND:
• Primary interest: Examination of novel agents in clinical trials and tumor survival induced by genotoxic chemotherapeutics. Seeking direct responsibility for conducting clinical trials.
• Graduate work: Performed in vitro evaluation of novel class of anticancer agents, the polyamine analogues, undergoing phase I clinical trials. Led to primary career focus on the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of anticancer agents.
• Postdoctoral work: Focused on clinical toxicity associated with a developing anticancer agent, perillyl alcohol. Outcome suggested that the mechanism of perillyl-induced gastrointestinal reflux in subjects in phase I drug trials could also exploit tumor cells that express a calcium-dependent NF-κB mediated survival pathway.
• Current work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Received NIH funding to examine genotoxic activity of cigarette smoke as prelude to inflammation associated cancer through induction of transcriptional factor NF-κB.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The interesting and intellectually challenging nature of the work plus the flexibility and intelligence of my peers and supervisors allowed me to use my set of skills and experience to the fullest and grow my career in a largely enjoyable and rewarding manner. To me this more than compensates for the lower salary compared to roles commonly available to scientists in the corporate world.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Deadlines and timelines and proposing budgets can be stressful but necessary part of the job. There were occasionally "justify your existence" - type presentations to a very smart audience.  Positions sometimes are tied to winning continued grant funding. Some professors responsible for performance evaluation seem almost oblivious to the work being done until they need to cut the budget and take credit for themselves.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very positive overall.  The chance to interact with so many top notch researchers in such a wide array of subjects is awesome.  It's an environment that keeps one mentally engaged and on one's toes.  It's a great place if you really love learning.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
There were no typical days.  By that I mean the role I was in presented a variety of challenging problems to work on and required collaboration with a wide variety of researchers in other areas

UW – Madison is a great place to work.  My reasons for leaving were more about size (it’s big) and the direction the university is going rather than about the current work environment.  

In my opinion, the university is growing without comparable increases staffing.  Smaller schools with better student to professor ratios (and which are able to offer such things as practical examinations for laboratory courses) may one day pose a threat once potential students begin to focus on educational outcomes rather than on the academic reputation of graduate school departments.

Also, I am concerned that the Madison campus growth is coming at the expense of other UW-System campuses.  These schools offer affordable, local, public options for many students, and they have the potential to become valuable sources of both well-qualified transfer students and workers for local needs.

Last, I am unhappy with the emphasis and attention given to the UW-Madison athletic department.  I know of no correlation between NCAA Division I rankings and educational quality, and as an academic recruiting tool, pre-professional athletic programs may not be attracting the type of students we really want.  There is also a great risk of scandal with so much money on the table.  

The admissions department on campus is a terrible place to work. The counselors are treated like expendable resources by leadership, which results in high turnover and an overall lack of morale in the office. Job duties are not clearly communicated during the interview process - for a significant portion of the year, counselors are expected to work 50+ hours a week, which could include being required to work over the weekend with warning given Friday afternoon. No compensation is given for overtime, and the department is severely understaffed for the workload the office needs to complete. Management does not care about personal development or mental burnout - you are rewarded for doing good work with having to pick up the slack from others in the office. I also truly believe the admissions criteria are unethical based on how we were asked to review applications for students with certain attributes. Leaving this toxic environment was one of the best decisions I ever made - and about a 1/4 of the staff had the same idea during the year I quit. Maybe the office could pay their staff properly if they didn't have to spend so much money to hire and train staff they constantly have to replace.

This place was once a fun place to work, but the culture has changed tremendously over the past five years. DEI is crammed down your throat if you like it or not, so if that is not your thing do not work here.

Nepotism is high. Be warned there are many “fake” jobs posted on their site when the department knows full well whom they want to hire. It is very difficult to move up in the university based on merit. The most important thing is whom you know, not what you know.

Lastly, the department I work at is extremely toxic. HR covers up complaints, and people who lodge complaints to central campus HR have been put on leave and eventually let go. Everyone is afraid they will be next, and leadership is not given any metrics of success they have to meet in order to keep their jobs, so there is no incentive to reign in leadership’s toxic behavior, nor have them act in a way to spend student money in a judicious way.

My advice, do your research into the department you want to work for. Some are great, and others… well I pray for those who can’t find jobs fast enough to get out of Dodge.

Working for RecWell was an amazing experience to have as a college student! I worked as an official and supervisor with Sports Programming. There is a huge emphasis in place on transferrable skills as well as team camaraderie within the department.

A usual work day as an official involves a bit of set up, pregame meetings, in-game officiating, and cleanup after. They pay for your training and encourage to officiate multiple sports.

As a supervisor you'll do a lot of administration and management but maybe won't have as much time to officiate during other shifts (if that's what you like to do). They do a great job training you in conflict management and you feel very supported by both coworkers and your higher-ups.

Overall, the culture here is very good in developing soft skills, gaining leadership experience, and pursuing other career development opportunities. I urge you to consider working here if you are looking for on-campus work.

Through my experience in a neurology research lab, I honed my ability to extract data, and analyze and interpret complex readings. My daily task as an undergraduate research assistant was to isolate specific segments in video-EEG readings of lab rats with traumatic brain injuries. I would then decipher these segments and label the type of brain activity that was occurring at each individual moment. I would log the data into the system and repeat for multiple animals in different time entries. I also evaluated EEG readings of lab rats experiencing seizures in the moment. I learned much about the relatedness of brain injuries of rats to that of humans. I also was educated on how to conduct myself in a work environment that required precision and attention to detail. The hardest part of the job was manipulating the lab animals. The most enjoyable part of the job was getting a positive research experience and working with a head researcher who was both a teacher and mentor.

If you work in any type of administrative or assistant role, you will be treated very poorly. Everyone raves that working for UW is awesome, but I never felt that way at all. Particularly if you support medical doctors, the old standby of them being treated like royalty and everyone else being treated like dirt is accurate. Doctors and clinical staff can do no wrong but admin staff are blamed for everything. Communication is horrible, so you won’t know information you need to know until it’s too late and you get blamed for messing something up. Those in charge refuse to acknowledge and address problems and staff are expected to deal with the added stress and constant requests to take on more work or repeatedly change how things are done. Suggestions and complaints aren’t taken seriously and management does not support or defend you. Very stressful, negative, and frustrating environment.

My journey working at the University Apartments Office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been a blend of rewarding experiences and areas needing improvement. A typical day rushes in with its own set of challenges, including managing extensive interactions with residents, which, while demanding, has refined my customer service expertise. Through these daily operations, I've learned the importance of patience, efficient record-keeping, and the intricate dynamics of campus housing needs.

While the university fosters a learning environment, the management in our department often fluctuates in its support. The guidance, though present, sometimes lacks consistency, causing a disparity in handling administrative tasks and resident relations. This inconsistency mildly shadows the workplace culture, which, at its core, thrives on camaraderie and shared goals but sometimes misses the mark on cohesive collaboration and communication.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is truly astounding in terms of the variety of occupations and impact the university has locally, nationally and internationally. 

Depending on your department, there can be a lot of flexibility in setting your hours and defining your role within your department. Overall, people across campus are kind, welcoming and encouraging of others. Explore all the professional development workshops and certificates offered by the Office of Human Resources. They are amazing! Of course, be sure that you have the time for these courses approved by your supervisor but they are great if you have some time to devote in your workweek.  

The benefits here are some of the best perks. From life insurance, WRS retirement benefits, to health care, UW-Madison stands out from various other companies in the area.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 5 salaries reported	$23.40 per hour
Accountant 8 salaries reported	$74,438 per year
Veterinary technician 8 salaries reported	$21.25 per hour
Postdoctoral research associate 6 salaries reported	$51,636 per year
Member services representative 2 salaries reported	$22.50 per hour

Working at University of Wisconsin–Madison: Company Overview and Reviews

University of Wisconsin–Madison

University of Wisconsin–Madison Ratings

Popular jobs at University of Wisconsin–Madison

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected