H-1B Visa Associate Researcher Jobs
Associate Researcher jobs at H-1B visa-sponsoring employers typically qualify as a specialty occupation, requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field such as biology, chemistry, psychology, or a cognate discipline. Employers file an LCA with DOL and an I-129 petition with USCIS, granting status for up to three years, extendable to six.
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Get Access To All JobsJob Posting Title:
Research Engineering/ Scientist Associate V, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Hiring Department:
Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Position Open To:
All Applicants
Weekly Scheduled Hours:
40
FLSA Status:
Exempt from FLSA
Earliest Start Date:
Immediately
Position Duration:
Expected to Continue
Location:
UT MAIN CAMPUS
Job Details:
General Notes
As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.
Purpose
Advance computational methods and research software for quantitative formation evaluation, emphasizing multidimensional borehole electromagnetic modeling and resistivity inversion. Develop reliable, efficient tools that translate research advances into practical subsurface interpretation workflows and support consortium research and technology transfer.
Responsibilities
- Develop and validate electromagnetic forward models and inversion methods for formation evaluation.
- Improve numerical solvers and performance through parallel and high-performance computing.
- Integrate modeling, inversion, and visualization capabilities into consortium software, including 3D UTAPWeLS.
- Analyze subsurface data and assess model sensitivity and uncertainty.
- Collaborate with researchers and sponsors; prepare documentation, publications, presentations, and user support.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree plus eight (8) years of related experience.
- Research experience in borehole electromagnetic modeling and inversion.
- Proficiency in MATLAB and Python; experience with Fortran or a comparable compiled language.
- Experience in numerical methods, scientific data analysis, parallel computing, and collaborative software development.
- Strong technical communication and teamwork skills.
- Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ph.D. in petroleum engineering, energy resources engineering, earth science and engineering, or a related field; postdoctoral research experience.
- Experience with gradient-based and stochastic inversion, UDAR interpretation, 3D anisotropic electromagnetic solvers, and OpenMP, MPI, or GPU computing.
- Experience with UTAPWeLS or comparable software, reservoir simulation, production forecasting, or large well datasets.
- Scientific publications or conference contributions.
Salary Range
$80,000 + depending on qualifications
Working Conditions
- Work is performed in a standard office environment.
- Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation.
Work Shift
- Standard business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Work outside of normal business hours may be required on an occasional basis during peak times.
Required Materials
- Resume/CV
- Letter of interest
- 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.
Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.
Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.
Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
Background Checks:
A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
Pay Transparency:
The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
Employment Eligibility Verification:
If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.
E-Verify:
The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:
- E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
Compliance:
Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.
The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.
Job Posting Title:
Research Engineering/ Scientist Associate V, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Hiring Department:
Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Position Open To:
All Applicants
Weekly Scheduled Hours:
40
FLSA Status:
Exempt from FLSA
Earliest Start Date:
Immediately
Position Duration:
Expected to Continue
Location:
UT MAIN CAMPUS
Job Details:
General Notes
As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.
Purpose
Advance computational methods and research software for quantitative formation evaluation, emphasizing multidimensional borehole electromagnetic modeling and resistivity inversion. Develop reliable, efficient tools that translate research advances into practical subsurface interpretation workflows and support consortium research and technology transfer.
Responsibilities
- Develop and validate electromagnetic forward models and inversion methods for formation evaluation.
- Improve numerical solvers and performance through parallel and high-performance computing.
- Integrate modeling, inversion, and visualization capabilities into consortium software, including 3D UTAPWeLS.
- Analyze subsurface data and assess model sensitivity and uncertainty.
- Collaborate with researchers and sponsors; prepare documentation, publications, presentations, and user support.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree plus eight (8) years of related experience.
- Research experience in borehole electromagnetic modeling and inversion.
- Proficiency in MATLAB and Python; experience with Fortran or a comparable compiled language.
- Experience in numerical methods, scientific data analysis, parallel computing, and collaborative software development.
- Strong technical communication and teamwork skills.
- Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ph.D. in petroleum engineering, energy resources engineering, earth science and engineering, or a related field; postdoctoral research experience.
- Experience with gradient-based and stochastic inversion, UDAR interpretation, 3D anisotropic electromagnetic solvers, and OpenMP, MPI, or GPU computing.
- Experience with UTAPWeLS or comparable software, reservoir simulation, production forecasting, or large well datasets.
- Scientific publications or conference contributions.
Salary Range
$80,000 + depending on qualifications
Working Conditions
- Work is performed in a standard office environment.
- Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation.
Work Shift
- Standard business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Work outside of normal business hours may be required on an occasional basis during peak times.
Required Materials
- Resume/CV
- Letter of interest
- 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.
Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.
Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.
Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
Background Checks:
A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
Pay Transparency:
The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
Employment Eligibility Verification:
If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.
E-Verify:
The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:
- E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
Compliance:
Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.
The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.
See all 13,911+ H-1B Visa Associate Researcher Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Associate Researcher Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Associate Researcher
Align your degree to your research subdiscipline
USCIS evaluates specialty occupation by matching your specific degree field to the role's core duties. A general science degree supporting a niche molecular biology position may trigger an RFE, so document your coursework and thesis topics explicitly in your credentials package.
Search LCA-verified research employers on Migrate Mate
Filter Associate Researcher openings by employers with confirmed H-1B LCA filing history. Migrate Mate surfaces that DOL data so you apply only to organizations that have already demonstrated they sponsor this role type.
Target institutions with cap-exempt filing authority
Universities, nonprofit research organizations affiliated with higher education, and government research entities can file H-1B petitions outside the annual cap. Prioritizing these employers eliminates lottery uncertainty entirely and lets you start sooner.
Request a worksite-specific LCA for each lab location
If your research rotates across campuses or affiliated field sites, each distinct worksite requires its own certified LCA from DOL before work begins there. Confirm with HR that all locations are covered before accepting an offer.
Verify prevailing wage tier before negotiating your offer
Use the OFLC Wage Search to check the Level I through Level IV prevailing wage for your SOC code and work location. Your offered salary must meet or exceed the certified wage, so knowing the floor prevents offer mismatches that delay LCA certification.
Review your O*NET profile to strengthen specialty occupation evidence
O*NET lists the typical education and task profile for research occupations. Referencing that profile in your employer's support letter reinforces that the role demands a specific bachelor's degree, which is the central test USCIS applies.
H-1B Visa Associate Researcher: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Associate Researcher role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes, Associate Researcher positions typically qualify because the role requires theoretical and practical application of a specific body of knowledge, normally attained through a bachelor's degree or higher in a directly related field such as biology, chemistry, neuroscience, or a cognate discipline. USCIS examines the actual job duties and the employer's hiring requirements, so your offer letter and job description should explicitly state that a specific degree is required, not merely preferred.
How do I find employers who actively sponsor H-1B visas for research roles?
Migrate Mate shows Associate Researcher openings at employers with verified H-1B LCA filing history pulled from DOL disclosure data. This means every listing you see reflects an organization that has already gone through the sponsorship process for research positions, which significantly reduces the time you spend chasing employers who lack the infrastructure or willingness to sponsor.
Can I work at multiple research sites under a single H-1B petition?
No. Each distinct worksite where you perform H-1B duties requires its own certified Labor Condition Application from DOL before work at that location begins. If your role involves rotating between a main campus and an affiliated field station or satellite lab, your employer must file separate LCAs covering each address. Confirm this with HR before you sign an offer that lists multiple locations.
What is the H-1B status period for an Associate Researcher, and can it be extended?
USCIS grants initial H-1B status for up to three years. It can be extended in increments up to a total of six years. Extensions beyond six years are possible only if you are on an employment-based green card path and meet specific milestones under AC21, such as an I-140 petition approved for more than 365 days. Absent those conditions, the six-year cap is firm.
How does the H-1B annual cap affect research job seekers, and are any research employers exempt?
The H-1B cap limits the number of new petitions approved each year, and the selection rules have changed recently, so it's worth confirming current mechanics directly with USCIS. Universities, nonprofit research organizations attached to higher education institutions, and governmental research entities are cap-exempt, meaning their petitions can be filed and approved at any time of year without competing in the annual selection process. Targeting these employers is a practical way to avoid cap uncertainty entirely.