Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida with Visa Sponsorship
Research Assistant jobs at University of Florida span a wide range of disciplines, from biomedical sciences to social policy, and the university has a well-established process for sponsoring international researchers. If you need visa sponsorship to work in the U.S., UF actively supports multiple pathways for Research Assistant candidates.
Find Research Assistant Jobs at University of FloridaOverview
Showing 5 of 19+ Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida
See all Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida.
Get Access To All JobsClassification Title
Assistant Research Scientist
Classification Minimum Requirements
Highest degree possible in field or equivalent professional experience; Evidence of pertinent experience for the position and qualities for the academic unit.
Job Description
The University of Florida seeks an assistant research scientist (12-month, non-tenure track faculty appointment in the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies to work closely with project investigators to advance new and ongoing research enterprises within the vision of the Early Childhood Studies Advanced Technology Lab. The assistant research scientist is expected to play an integral role in current extramural awards, while collaborating with center investigators and affiliated faculty/staff to build a portfolio of independent and collaborative research focused on incorporating sensing technology in the early childhood education space. “Sensing technology” refers to tools that use sensors to acquire information about human behavior via physiological data (e.g., speech, locomotion, heart rate). In the context of developmental science and education research, sensing technology refers to tools integrated into classrooms to collect data about multiple teachers and students simultaneously. This tech includes: (1) cameras, location trackers, audio recorders, and other devices that capture continuous, real-time classroom information, and (2) algorithms that recognize and quantify parent and child behaviors (e.g., language, gestures, visual gaze, interactions) without requiring hand-coding of data. The Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies is an interdisciplinary center of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to translating science to action through innovative research, professional development, and community partnerships that support all young children from birth to age eight and their families. This position is time-limited, with initial funding for a two-year appointment. Continued employment is possible with extramural funding secured individually or as part of collaborative research. This assistant research scientist position will entail two primary responsibilities: (1) establishing and advancing their own portfolio of extramurally-funded research in collaboration with Center faculty, staff, and students and (2) supporting existing sensing technology grants and dissemination efforts.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE:
The College of Education at the University of Florida, founded in 1906, has consistently been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in Online Graduate Education for the last nine years, No. 2 nationally for undergraduate education and 8th nationally among public graduate colleges of education (U.S. News & World Report). Four of the College's academic programs occupy top-20 spots in the U.S. News rankings: Counselor Education (1st), Special Education (5th), Educational Administration (17th), and Elementary Education (17th). Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and public scholarship—often conducted in partnership with other UF colleges, school districts and communities across the state and nation—are yielding powerful learning systems and models that are helping to transform education in today’s changing world, starting with our youngest learners. Faculty researchers last year garnered more than $150.3 million in external awards supporting studies and projects addressing education’s most critical issues. With both on campus and online options, the college offers 29 bachelor’s and advanced degree programs and concentration areas, within nine academic specialties. To sustain the college's innovative edge, heightened emphasis on emerging technologies, student experience and interdisciplinary research will effectively prepare tomorrow's leaders in all education disciplines. The College's educator preparation programs have been continuously accredited by CAEP and NCATE since 1954. Follow us: @UF_COE (X), @uf_coe (Instagram), @university-of-florida-college-of-education (LinkedIn), and @UF.COE (Facebook).
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY:
The University of Florida, founded in 1853, is a public land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research university and one of the most academically diverse universities in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks UF 6th among public universities. National rankings such as 1st by the Wall Street Journal and 4th by Forbes in their respective lists of Public Universities are a result of UF’s commitment to provide the highest quality education at the best value. UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 200 research, service and education centers, bureaus and institutes, and boasts more than 6,600 faculty members, 60,000 students and 405,000 living alumni. Faculty scholars last year generated more than $1.26 billion in research awards. UF recently launched a $70 million AI partnership with NVIDIA, taking the first step toward ensuring equitable access to bringing AI to students and faculty from across campus and the state. The Florida Legislature designated UF as a “preeminent'' state university in 2013.
ABOUT THE AREA:
UF is situated in Gainesville in North Central Florida, a vibrant college town that blends big-city cultural and athletic offerings with small-town friendliness and charm, along with excellent schools. Gainesville, located about halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, is often recognized as one of America’s best college towns and is easily accessible to three major metropolitan areas (Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa). The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Gainesville as a “Tree City USA” every year since 1982. USA Today ranked Gainesville as the number one place to move in the Sunshine State. Add the allure of Florida’s famous sunshine, tropical breezes, and abundant wilderness, springs, rivers and seashores nearby, and it is little wonder that top-caliber faculty and students find our College and University to be the perfect balance of premier academics and a fulfilling lifestyle.
Expected Salary
Commensurate with education and experience.
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering, OR a Ph.D. in or related to Education with equivalent experience with sensing technology
- Ability to conduct speech processing on recordings from natural language environments (home, school, community), with a focus on young children and caregivers
- Experience in sensing technology dataset building and merging data from multiple sensing tools
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills, ability, and experience authoring scientific journal publications and/or technical reports
- Demonstrated experience contributing to the writing of research proposals
- Ability to be calm, creative, flexible, and prudent in ambiguous, challenging circumstances, and work independently
Preferred
- Experience developing and evaluating innovative technologies for behavioral assessment and/or intervention
- Knowledge of on-the-ground sensing technology data collection
- Experience with Python, Java, and other types of programming languages
- Evidence of research funded (e.g., fellowships, government agencies, industry sponsors, and/or non-profit organizations)
- Interest, ability, and experience in the design and execution of collaborative multi-disciplinary research
- Experience with research development and management in settings for children aged birth to eight years
Special Instructions To Applicants
The University of Florida is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
Application Procedures:
Applicant should upload all materials to the University of Florida’s employment website. If technical assistance is needed, please contact Human resources at (352) 392-2477. Complete applications include: (1) a letter of application addressing required and desired qualifications, (2) curriculum vitae or résumé, (3) contact information for three references, who after further review will be asked to send a letter of recommendation through the online application system. Applicants should reference requisition 538205, position number 00042967. Inquiries about the position can be addressed to Dr. Dwight Irvin, Search Committee Chair (dwirvin@coe.ufl.edu). Review of candidates will begin on January 5, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, application materials should be submitted by January 4, 2026. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and hiring authority. The selection process will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida’s “Government in the Sunshine” and Public Records laws. Search Committee meetings and interviews are open to the public and all applications, resumes, and other documents related to the search will be available for public inspection. Final candidates will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by the National Association of Credentialing Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org.
Health Assessment Required:
No
Classification Title
Assistant Research Scientist
Classification Minimum Requirements
Highest degree possible in field or equivalent professional experience; Evidence of pertinent experience for the position and qualities for the academic unit.
Job Description
The University of Florida seeks an assistant research scientist (12-month, non-tenure track faculty appointment in the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies to work closely with project investigators to advance new and ongoing research enterprises within the vision of the Early Childhood Studies Advanced Technology Lab. The assistant research scientist is expected to play an integral role in current extramural awards, while collaborating with center investigators and affiliated faculty/staff to build a portfolio of independent and collaborative research focused on incorporating sensing technology in the early childhood education space. “Sensing technology” refers to tools that use sensors to acquire information about human behavior via physiological data (e.g., speech, locomotion, heart rate). In the context of developmental science and education research, sensing technology refers to tools integrated into classrooms to collect data about multiple teachers and students simultaneously. This tech includes: (1) cameras, location trackers, audio recorders, and other devices that capture continuous, real-time classroom information, and (2) algorithms that recognize and quantify parent and child behaviors (e.g., language, gestures, visual gaze, interactions) without requiring hand-coding of data. The Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies is an interdisciplinary center of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to translating science to action through innovative research, professional development, and community partnerships that support all young children from birth to age eight and their families. This position is time-limited, with initial funding for a two-year appointment. Continued employment is possible with extramural funding secured individually or as part of collaborative research. This assistant research scientist position will entail two primary responsibilities: (1) establishing and advancing their own portfolio of extramurally-funded research in collaboration with Center faculty, staff, and students and (2) supporting existing sensing technology grants and dissemination efforts.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE:
The College of Education at the University of Florida, founded in 1906, has consistently been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in Online Graduate Education for the last nine years, No. 2 nationally for undergraduate education and 8th nationally among public graduate colleges of education (U.S. News & World Report). Four of the College's academic programs occupy top-20 spots in the U.S. News rankings: Counselor Education (1st), Special Education (5th), Educational Administration (17th), and Elementary Education (17th). Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and public scholarship—often conducted in partnership with other UF colleges, school districts and communities across the state and nation—are yielding powerful learning systems and models that are helping to transform education in today’s changing world, starting with our youngest learners. Faculty researchers last year garnered more than $150.3 million in external awards supporting studies and projects addressing education’s most critical issues. With both on campus and online options, the college offers 29 bachelor’s and advanced degree programs and concentration areas, within nine academic specialties. To sustain the college's innovative edge, heightened emphasis on emerging technologies, student experience and interdisciplinary research will effectively prepare tomorrow's leaders in all education disciplines. The College's educator preparation programs have been continuously accredited by CAEP and NCATE since 1954. Follow us: @UF_COE (X), @uf_coe (Instagram), @university-of-florida-college-of-education (LinkedIn), and @UF.COE (Facebook).
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY:
The University of Florida, founded in 1853, is a public land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research university and one of the most academically diverse universities in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks UF 6th among public universities. National rankings such as 1st by the Wall Street Journal and 4th by Forbes in their respective lists of Public Universities are a result of UF’s commitment to provide the highest quality education at the best value. UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 200 research, service and education centers, bureaus and institutes, and boasts more than 6,600 faculty members, 60,000 students and 405,000 living alumni. Faculty scholars last year generated more than $1.26 billion in research awards. UF recently launched a $70 million AI partnership with NVIDIA, taking the first step toward ensuring equitable access to bringing AI to students and faculty from across campus and the state. The Florida Legislature designated UF as a “preeminent'' state university in 2013.
ABOUT THE AREA:
UF is situated in Gainesville in North Central Florida, a vibrant college town that blends big-city cultural and athletic offerings with small-town friendliness and charm, along with excellent schools. Gainesville, located about halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, is often recognized as one of America’s best college towns and is easily accessible to three major metropolitan areas (Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa). The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Gainesville as a “Tree City USA” every year since 1982. USA Today ranked Gainesville as the number one place to move in the Sunshine State. Add the allure of Florida’s famous sunshine, tropical breezes, and abundant wilderness, springs, rivers and seashores nearby, and it is little wonder that top-caliber faculty and students find our College and University to be the perfect balance of premier academics and a fulfilling lifestyle.
Expected Salary
Commensurate with education and experience.
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering, OR a Ph.D. in or related to Education with equivalent experience with sensing technology
- Ability to conduct speech processing on recordings from natural language environments (home, school, community), with a focus on young children and caregivers
- Experience in sensing technology dataset building and merging data from multiple sensing tools
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills, ability, and experience authoring scientific journal publications and/or technical reports
- Demonstrated experience contributing to the writing of research proposals
- Ability to be calm, creative, flexible, and prudent in ambiguous, challenging circumstances, and work independently
Preferred
- Experience developing and evaluating innovative technologies for behavioral assessment and/or intervention
- Knowledge of on-the-ground sensing technology data collection
- Experience with Python, Java, and other types of programming languages
- Evidence of research funded (e.g., fellowships, government agencies, industry sponsors, and/or non-profit organizations)
- Interest, ability, and experience in the design and execution of collaborative multi-disciplinary research
- Experience with research development and management in settings for children aged birth to eight years
Special Instructions To Applicants
The University of Florida is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
Application Procedures:
Applicant should upload all materials to the University of Florida’s employment website. If technical assistance is needed, please contact Human resources at (352) 392-2477. Complete applications include: (1) a letter of application addressing required and desired qualifications, (2) curriculum vitae or résumé, (3) contact information for three references, who after further review will be asked to send a letter of recommendation through the online application system. Applicants should reference requisition 538205, position number 00042967. Inquiries about the position can be addressed to Dr. Dwight Irvin, Search Committee Chair (dwirvin@coe.ufl.edu). Review of candidates will begin on January 5, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, application materials should be submitted by January 4, 2026. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and hiring authority. The selection process will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida’s “Government in the Sunshine” and Public Records laws. Search Committee meetings and interviews are open to the public and all applications, resumes, and other documents related to the search will be available for public inspection. Final candidates will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by the National Association of Credentialing Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org.
Health Assessment Required:
No
See all Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Research Assistant Jobs at University of Florida
Align your degree field to the role
Research Assistant positions at UF require a degree directly tied to the research area, not just a general science or humanities background. Confirm your transcript reflects the specific discipline before applying, as USCIS scrutinizes specialty occupation fit closely.
Target department-level job postings directly
UF hires Research Assistants through individual departments and research centers, not just central HR. Checking the specific college or lab website often surfaces openings earlier than university-wide boards, giving you more time to connect with a principal investigator before the role fills.
Clarify your OPT or CPT timeline upfront
If you're on F-1 status, tell UF's hiring team exactly how many months of OPT remain before your first interview. Research projects run on grant cycles, and departments need confidence that your work authorization covers the project timeline before they commit to onboarding.
Ask about H-1B filing timing during the offer stage
UF processes H-1B petitions through its International Center, but cap-subject filings must be submitted by March for an October start. If your offer arrives late, negotiate a J-1 or bridge arrangement while your H-1B is pending to avoid a gap in research continuity.
Build a CV that reflects research output, not just duties
UF immigration filings for Research Assistants depend partly on demonstrating the role's specialized nature. A CV listing publications, conference presentations, grants, or named lab affiliations strengthens both your application and the university's petition to USCIS or DOL under EB-2 or EB-3 if that pathway becomes relevant.
Use Migrate Mate to filter verified UF openings
Research Assistant jobs at UF that include visa sponsorship are not always labeled clearly. Use Migrate Mate to filter University of Florida postings by visa type so you're only pursuing roles where sponsorship is already confirmed, saving you from wasted applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does University of Florida sponsor H-1B visas for Research Assistants?
Yes, University of Florida sponsors H-1B visas for Research Assistant roles that qualify as specialty occupations, meaning the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field directly related to the research. UF's International Center manages the petition process, coordinating with the hiring department to file with USCIS. Cap-subject H-1B petitions must be submitted in March for an October 1 start date, so your offer timing matters.
How do I apply for Research Assistant jobs at University of Florida?
Applications go through UF's official careers portal, but many Research Assistant openings are also posted at the department or lab level. Connecting directly with a principal investigator in your field before a role is formally posted can significantly improve your chances. You can also use Migrate Mate to browse Research Assistant positions at UF that are confirmed to offer visa sponsorship, filtering by visa type to match your situation.
Which visa types does University of Florida commonly use for Research Assistant roles?
UF sponsors a range of visa types for Research Assistants depending on your background and the role. F-1 OPT and CPT are common for current students working in affiliated labs. J-1 visa research scholar status is frequently used for postdoctoral or visiting researcher arrangements. H-1B covers longer-term employment, and UF also supports EB-2 and EB-3 immigrant visa pathways for researchers moving toward permanent residency. TN visa is available for Canadian and Mexican nationals in qualifying research disciplines.
What qualifications does University of Florida expect for Research Assistant positions?
Expectations vary by department, but most Research Assistant roles require at minimum a bachelor's degree in a field directly tied to the research, such as biology, public health, engineering, or social sciences. Many competitive positions expect lab or fieldwork experience, familiarity with relevant research methods or software, and sometimes prior publications or conference work. Graduate-level roles may require an active enrollment in a UF PhD or master's program as a condition of appointment.
How long does the visa sponsorship process take for a UF Research Assistant role?
Timeline depends on visa type. F-1 OPT authorization through USCIS takes up to 90 days, so apply early relative to your start date. H-1B sponsorship follows the federal cap cycle with a March registration window and October 1 effective date, meaning the gap between offer and start can be six months or more. J-1 sponsorship through UF's International Center typically moves faster, often within four to eight weeks of an approved position.