Green Card Clinical Research Scientist Jobs
Clinical Research Scientist roles at pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and biotech firms regularly qualify for EB-2 and EB-3 green card sponsorship through PERM labor certification. Employers file on your behalf, certifying that no qualified U.S. worker is available for the role. A master's degree or Ph.D. in a life sciences field strengthens your EB-2 eligibility.
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At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.
Organization Overview
The Director/Senior Director, Imaging Clinical Research Scientist is a key member of the medical development team, leading the clinical development of diagnostic radiopharmaceutical imaging programs, with a focus on oncology, immunology and cardiovascular disease. This role spans both diagnostic and therapeutic applications and contributes across the full clinical development life cycle, from early phase studies through registration trials. The successful candidate will be a translational scientist whose research background and expertise bridges disease biology, biomarker science, and clinical trial execution. In addition, the candidate will serve as an internal scientific expert in molecular imaging, partnering closely with cross functional teams and external collaborators to advance innovative imaging strategies.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and execution of integrated clinical development programs for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals in oncology, immunology and cardiovascular diseases across early and late-phase development.
- Define clinical strategies, endpoints, patient populations, and imaging criteria for each phase of development.
- Design studies to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, optimal imaging timing, patient selection biomarkers, and comparative performance versus standard-of-care imaging.
- Serve as a scientific expert in molecular imaging modalities, including PET, SPECT, CT, and MRI (e.g., imaging of vascular and myocardial inflammation, autoimmune disease activity, atherosclerotic plaque, and cardiac amyloidosis), with applicability to oncology and emerging theranostic platforms a plus.
- Analyze and interpret molecular imaging data (e.g., PET/CT, SPECT/CT), including tumor localization, tracer biodistribution, dosimetry considerations, and longitudinal response assessment. Evaluate and interpret imaging biomarkers for patient stratification, disease activity assessment, and disease monitoring across immune-mediated and cardiovascular conditions.
- Evaluate imaging performance metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, standardized uptake values (SUVs), and tumor to background ratios.
- Provide strategic input into the development, validation, and quantitative evaluation of advanced image analysis methods.
- Apply knowledge of oncology, immune-mediated, cardiovascular, and/or metabolic disease biology to guide the scientific strategy of diagnostic imaging programs.
- Collaborate internally with physicians, scientists, medical physicists, as well as with imaging operations and advanced image analysis teams.
- Lead cross functional projects and coordinate with external partners, including CROs, academic institutions, software developers, and scanner manufacturers, to support imaging method validation and implementation.
- Evaluate emerging scientific and technological advances in imaging, including modeling approaches and artificial intelligence, and drive their application in clinical programs.
- Author and review key clinical and regulatory documents, including Investigator’s Brochures, protocols, protocol amendments, clinical study reports, and regulatory briefing documents.
- Contribute to the development of technical manuals and imaging related trial documentation.
- Communicate scientific findings through internal presentations, conference abstracts, and peer reviewed publications.
- Other duties as assigned.
Basic Requirements:
- PhD in a relevant field.
- Minimum 5 years clinical development experience; minimum 3 years industry experience.
Additional Skills/Preferences:
- Tracer development experience and experience in oncology, immunology and/or cardiology is highly preferred.
- Strong problem-solving skills; able to anticipate and recognize systemic problems, diagnose root causes and take corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence.
- Familiarity with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and regulatory requirements.
- Strong ability to balance scientific and business priorities.
- Demonstrated communication, collaboration, organizational, and influencing skills.
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
- Travel estimated at 10-15%.
Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.
Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $177,000 - $338,800.
Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities). Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Green Card Sponsorship as a Clinical Research Scientist
Document your advanced degree equivalency early
If your life sciences degree is from a non-U.S. institution, get a credential evaluation before applying. USCIS requires evidence that your foreign degree is equivalent to a U.S. master's or bachelor's, and gaps here stall PERM filings.
Target employers with active PERM filing history
Pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, and academic medical centers file PERM most frequently for Clinical Research Scientist roles. Use the OFLC Wage Search to verify that employers in your target sector have certified petitions in your specialty.
Clarify the EB-2 versus EB-3 track with your employer
A Ph.D. or master's degree in pharmacology, biostatistics, or a related field typically supports EB-2, which skips the PERM recruiting requirement for National Interest Waiver cases. Confirm which category the employer intends to file under before accepting an offer.
Search for green card sponsors on Migrate Mate
Filter Clinical Research Scientist roles by green card sponsorship on Migrate Mate to surface employers actively filing PERM or I-140 petitions. This cuts the research time spent verifying whether a company will sponsor your permanent residency.
Ask about PERM audit risk during interviews
DOL audits PERM applications when the job description closely matches the applicant's resume, a pattern common in specialized research roles. Ask hiring managers whether their counsel has experience handling PERM audits for scientist-level positions.
Time your I-140 filing to protect your priority date
Once your employer files the PERM application, ask them to file the I-140 petition concurrently or immediately after DOL certifies it. An approved I-140 locks in your priority date, which matters if your country faces EB-2 or EB-3 backlogs.
Green Card Clinical Research Scientist: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Clinical Research Scientist roles qualify for EB-2 or EB-3 green card sponsorship?
Most do. Roles requiring a master's degree or Ph.D. in a life sciences field such as pharmacology, toxicology, or biostatistics typically qualify for EB-2. Positions requiring only a bachelor's degree qualify under EB-3. Your employer's immigration counsel will determine the correct category based on the minimum requirements in the job description, not your personal credentials.
How does green card sponsorship differ from H-1B for this role?
Green card sponsorship through PERM and I-140 is permanent residency, not a temporary status. There is no annual lottery for EB-2 or EB-3 petitions, so your employer can file any time of year. The tradeoff is timeline: PERM labor certification alone takes six months to over a year, and priority date backlogs can add years for certain countries. H-1B visa gives faster U.S. work authorization but must be renewed and offers no path to permanence on its own.
What does the PERM process look like for a Clinical Research Scientist position?
Your employer posts the role, conducts a DOL-mandated recruitment campaign, and documents that no qualified U.S. worker applied. DOL then certifies the PERM application, which the employer submits to USCIS with the I-140 immigrant petition. The entire PERM-to-I-140 sequence typically takes 12 to 24 months before you can file for adjustment of status, assuming your priority date is current.
How do I find Clinical Research Scientist jobs where employers will sponsor a green card?
Use Migrate Mate to filter research scientist roles by employers with active green card sponsorship history. Many companies sponsor work visas but do not advertise PERM filings in job postings, so filtering by verified sponsorship activity is more reliable than reading job descriptions. Pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and federally funded research institutions are the most frequent sponsors for this title.
Can I self-petition for a green card as a Clinical Research Scientist without an employer?
Yes, if you qualify for the EB-2 National Interest Waiver. NIW allows advanced-degree professionals to self-petition by demonstrating that their research has substantial merit and national importance, and that waiving the employer-sponsored PERM process would benefit the United States. Researchers publishing in peer-reviewed journals, holding patents, or contributing to FDA-regulated drug development often meet USCIS criteria for this waiver.