When immunologist Richard Robinson received his PhD in 2007 from Dartmouth University, he couldn't just choose his next step based on his own needs--he had a wife and a 2-year-old daughter to consider. He sought a competitive postdoc position that would allow him to study immunology and infectious diseases, but also needed a salary and benefits package that would support his family and wanted a community where he could raise his children.

Robinson isn't alone. With the average age of PhD recipients hovering around 33 years old, many postdocs are attempting to balance family and career needs. Many institutions that topped our 2010 list for Best Places to Work for postdocs were noted for encouraging rich family and personal lives outside of the labs, as well as offering comprehensive benefit packages. By contrast, last year's top research centers for postdocs were praised for their funding levels and the quality of their training and mentoring opportunities.

Perhaps the increasing length of postdoc tenure is instigating this change of focus. Nearly 45 percent of postdocs that participated in our Best Places survey have been in their position more than 2 years--up from only 28 percent in 2009.

Robinson accepted a postdoc position at the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, New York, this year's number one US institution. Thanks to the low cost of living and onsite housing, Robinson's salary and benefits package can provide for his wife, a stay-at-home mom, and their three daughters. "It is such a rare thing to find a community like Trudeau, but it is exactly what I was looking for," he says.

Why not give all the postdoc institutions receiving more than X responses? By giving mainly the same institutions as last year, you invalidate the utility the survey could have! Think of everybody else, eh?

I can attest that COH can provide adequate postdoctoral opportunities. However, Chinese, Mandarin-speaking postdocs have a great networking advantage over others both domestic and international. Many PIs only hire Chinese nationals - ie. staff, postdocs, techs etc.

I can attest that the biggest weaknesses of the Mayo Clinic are definitely training and mentoring. The political infrastructure isn't great either. The survey got it exactly right.

It's Dartmouth *College*, not Dartmouth University. Yes, even the graduate school is part of the college...

How are the survey categories defined? (i.e. Equity?)