I worked in a VERY small research group. My supervisor was not in the country for most of the first two months of my job. The woman I was assigned to work with while my boss was away was an incompetent, rude Research Scientist. She had no idea what was actually happening in those little PCR tubes yet she was a Research Scientist II. How does this happen? She was completely useless.
The experience was a total nightmare. Many people were not willing to share- anything! Protocols, information, tips, sharpies. i couldn't believe it!
My manager should not have hired me and then taken off for two months. I think I had been there two weeks when she left for her two month vacation. She didn't leave me prepared at all- not enough literature, no old notebooks, no co-workers I could to go to if I ran into trouble or wanted to shoot ideas around (which is rarley done anyway since somebody might steal them from you). I was very dissapointed by my experience with my supervisor. My supervisor was also aware that the Research Scientist II I was left to work with was incompetent. Many people had wanted her fired but my supervisor feared backlash from HR. When Lily showed up I ran.
The company culture is ok. One thing that bothered me is that many people speak Chinese during the work day. It is a bit of a bummer only because it makes it hard to get to know people, and then you are even less likely to be able to have a work relevant conversation.
