3.6 out of 5. Not great, not terrible - Assistant Research Professor Penn State Employee Review

3.0
27 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good colleagues (depends on the department). Affordable cost of living. Good location if you love the outdoors. Students are generally nice and if you look hard you can find highly capable and motivated ones.

Cons

Extremely bureaucratic. Based on public pay data, I think we are paid less than peer state flagship universities. Penn State is also multiple hours away from big cities like Pittsburgh or Philly, so if you are a city person or have a partner outside of academia, this can be quite a large negative.

Explore other reviews about Penn State

5.0
21 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Friendly professor and professional staff

Cons

Reassignment can take longer and can be a tedious process

5.0
19 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

My supervisor was fantastic: provided good feedback, flexibility in work schedule, opportunities for professional growth.

Cons

Usually 1-2 year contract, determined by grant funding and availability Workplace experience is more dependent on the individual researcher/research lab you end up working for than the university as a whole

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All