The John Innes Centre has come fourth in an annual international survey to find the best places to work in academia, outside of the US. 

The survey, carried out by The Scientist magazine, is based on academics responding to a survey to assess their working environment. 
 
The John Innes Centre, an Institute of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, was the second highest ranked UK institution. 
 
Princeton University claimed first place in the U.S. rankings for the second straight year, while the international winner, The University of Queensland, is a first-timer to the survey.

Institutions based in Israel and the United Kingdom rounded out the top five international rankings, with Weizmann Institute of Science, University of Dundee, John Innes Centre, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem taking top honours. Many of these institutions have performed consistently well in the rankings over recent years; readers cite opportunities for advancement and research resources as their major strengths. 
 
In 2009 the John Innes Centre came 6th outside the US in The Scientist’s ‘Best Places to Work for Postdocs’ survey, and earlier this year was listed (jointly with The Sainsbury Laboratory) as the top institute worldwide for the impact of its scientific research papers in plant and animal sciences, by Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators. 
 
“We are pleased to give our readers the opportunity to report what they love and hate about their institutions through the Academia survey,” said Associate Editor Edyta Zielinska, who oversees the Best Places surveys. 
 
Willingness amongst these institutions to collaborate and share resources has opened the doors for greater research prospects and created a positive, supportive environment their employees’ value.