The Scientist
(New York, NY) – May 2, 2011 – The Scientist, magazine of the life sciences, announced today the winners of its 9th annual “Best Places to Work in Industry” survey. By forging new relationships and finding novel uses for existing technologies, the companies topping this year’s survey are employing creative ways to advance science and expand their markets.
Epizyme, an epigenetics research company based in Cambridge, MA, placed 1st overall and among small companies. Their discoveries have spawned deals with large pharmaceutical companies to further epigenetics drug development and therapeutics. Epizyme’s newfound collaborations are a big change for the small company, and the employees are excited about what’s to come:
"It feels like an endorsement of the quality of the science we’re doing," says Christina Allain, who develops cell-based assays for the company. "It’s a great morale boost, a pat on the back."
Conversant Bio in Huntsville, AL and Aldevron in Fargo, ND were awarded 2nd and 3rd place in both the overall rankings and the Top Small Companies category. The two high-ranked companies have formed partnerships with academic institutions to foster their research and development. Conversant Bio is sharing resources with Stanford University and Aldevron is working with North Dakota State University to increase biotech research and jobs in Fargo.
DuPont, based in Wilmington, DE, ranked 1st among Top Large Companies and 10th overall. Having secured 689 new patents and successfully commercialized more than 1,700 new products, DuPont has become a powerhouse of technology and innovation in the science industry. Pioneer Hi-Bred: a DuPont Business with headquarters in Johnston, IA, placed 2nd among large companies and 12th overall. They have established relationships with international companies to exchange ideas and products to make their operations more efficient and promote advancement in science.
The Top 10 Large Companies:
1. DuPont, Wilmington, DE
2. Pioneer Hi-Bred: A DuPont Business, Johnston, IA
3. Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, IN
4. Monsanto, St. Louis, MO
5. Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA
6. Novartis, Basel, Switzerland
7. Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA
8. Bayer Corp, Leverkusen, Germany
9. Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL
10. Pfizer, New York, NY
The Top 10 Small Companies:
1. Epizyme, Cambridge, MA
2. Conversant Bio, Huntsville, AL
3. Aldevron, Fargo, ND
4. Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA
5. Acorda Therapeutics, Hawthorne, NY
6. Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Fort Washington, PA
7. Celldex Therapeutics, Needham, MA
8. DNA Genotek, Kanata, Ontario
9. Wyatt Technology. Santa Barbara, CA
10. Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA
The full article with detailed survey results can be found in the May issue of The Scientist and is available online at www.the-scientist.com/bptw.
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