UD chosen one of best places to conduct life sciences research

1:43 p.m., Nov. 8, 2004--The University of Delaware is among the best places in the nation at which to conduct research in the life sciences, according to an international survey of full-time researchers conducted by the magazine The Scientist.

UD ranked sixth among the top 10 “Best Places to Work in Academia” in the United States, according to the results of the annual survey released in the Nov. 8 issue of the magazine.

“This high ranking by The Scientist is confirmation of the correctness of the University's strategies whereby our faculty are provided with access to very good students, supportive staff, competitive compensation, excellent facilities, modern equipment, and distinguished library and computing support,” UD President David P. Roselle said.

“These same strategies have resulted in success in recruiting and retaining superb faculty and their availability as collaborators will cause still additional success in attracting both students and faculty. Simply said, the University of Delaware is being positioned among the nation's most distinguished institutions of higher education,” Roselle said.

“This recognition is particularly meaningful since it reflects the faculty's appreciation of the exceptional environment for scientific research at the University of Delaware,” UD Provost Dan Rich said. “Supporting the success of an outstanding faculty has enabled the University to emerge as one of the nation's leading centers for interdisciplinary research.”

This is the fourth survey conducted by The Scientist, which aims to help researchers identify the universities and centers where their work will be nurtured and fairly remunerated.

The California Institute of Technology was rated the top American academic institution for which to work.

Other institutions that received high grades were, in order, Purdue University, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Cornell University, UD, the University of Michigan, the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania, the Wadworth Center in New York and Indiana University.

Traditionally, survey respondents have cited collegiality and core facilities, including libraries, equipment and up-to-date buildings that enable them to pursue leading-edge research, as keys to their ratings of research institutions.

This year, many respondents from the campuses that were recognized noted support for interdisciplinary research as being among the strengths of their respective institutions.

UD has developed a strong reputation for interdisciplinary research, has a long tradition of collegiality among faculty members and provides top-flight facilities, including the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.

Researchers from academia, private companies and government laboratories were invited to participate in the survey, which featured a web-based questionnaire. From more than 35,000 invitations, the magazine received about 1,456 responses from scientists in the United States, Canada and western Europe.

Article by Neil Thomas
Cover used with permission of The Scientist

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