Noble Foundation garners No. 4 ranking in national survey

NEWS RELEASE
Issued - February 24, 2009

ARDMORE, Okla. — For the second consecutive year, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation has placed in the top 10 of The Scientist magazine's annual Best Places to Work for Postdoctoral Fellows (postdocs) survey.

The Noble Foundation, which is internationally renowned for its plant science discoveries and agricultural programs, ranked No. 4 out of more than 85 institutions nationwide, moving up four spots from the No. 8 ranking the organization received in 2008. The Noble Foundation also ranked as the highest plant science research institute on the list.

"The Noble Foundation continues to distinguish itself as one of the top plant science and agricultural research institutions in this country and around the world," said Michael A. Cawley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Noble Foundation. "This national survey reaffirms the Noble Foundation commitment to our research and to our researchers. We have the best postdocs from around the world and we strive to provide them the means to succeed during and after their time here."

Postdocs are typically defined as non-tenure scientists with a doctoral degree, many of whom have recently graduated. Postdocs typically spend three years at a research institution after graduation gaining valuable experience.

The Noble Foundation employs 61 postdocs from more than 20 different countries to conduct research at the Foundation's campus in Ardmore, Okla. Noble Foundation scientists provide training and mentorship to help postdocs establish their careers and become independent as scientific investigators or university faculty.

"When postdocs look for the best possible destination to advance their research and propel their careers, they look for an organization with a solid research reputation, strong mentors and quality facilities," said Richard Dixon, D. Phil., Senior Vice President and Plant Biology Division Director. "The Noble Foundation has the rare combination of each of these, which greatly benefits our postdoc community."

The Scientist's Web-based survey ran from Oct. 2 to Dec. 1, 2008, gathering more than 3,400 responses from postdocs at 85 institutions in the United States. Participants were asked to rate their institution on 43 criteria in 11 different areas that make up their institutional environment.

The Noble Foundation received its top scores for:: • training and mentoring;
• generously funding postdoc research programs; and
• the quality of the infrastructure;

The Noble Foundation topped such recognized research organizations as the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, as well as dozens of universities, including the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Duke University.

"When you look at the top 40 institutions in this survey and you see so many outstanding organizations, it makes you realize the Noble Foundation is among the very elite research organizations," said Joe Bouton, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Forage Improvement Division Director. "We're proud of the science we're conducting here. We believe it is some of the best in the world because we have such talented researchers and postdocs."

The Scientist's magazine released the results of its seventh annual survey in anticipation of the publication's March issue.

In 2008, the Noble Foundation participated in The Scientist's annual "Best Places to Work for Postdoc" and "Best Places to Work in the Academia," ranking No. 8 in both surveys.

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Photo:: Principal Investigator Kelly Craven, Ph.D., reviews finding with postdoctoral fellow Nikki Charlton, Ph.D. at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

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For media inquiries concerning the Noble Foundation, please contact:

J. Adam Calaway

jacalaway@noble.org

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.