H-1B Visa Biology Jobs
Biology roles in research, biotech, and pharmaceutical settings qualify as H-1B specialty occupations when the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related biological science. Employers in these sectors have strong H-1B filing histories, and the 85,000-slot annual cap means timing your job search around the April lottery registration window matters.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.
Position Summary
The laboratory of Dr. Shiaulou Yuan at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) is seeking highly motivated candidates for a full-time postdoctoral research fellow position.
We are a multidisciplinary group of biologists, biophysicists, and microscopists who aim to understand how fluid flows and biophysical forces shape the developing heart and how these mechanisms underlie cardiac disease pathogenesis when gone awry. Specifically, we seek to illuminate how the cilium, a hair-like structure found on most cells in the human body, acts as an “antenna” to sense and translate extracellular signals into molecular processes that sculpt the early heart (Djenoune, Mahamdeh et al., Science, 2023). The penultimate goal of our research is to advance our understanding of cardiac development and diseases by combining state-of-the-art approaches from developmental biology, cell biology, genetics, biophysics, and advanced microscopy in zebrafish animal models and human stem cells.
This position offers excellent opportunities to work in a highly collaborative and multi-disciplinary biomedical atmosphere, interact with distinguished scientists, physicians and physician-scientists at MGH-Harvard, and become a valued member of a collegial and growing research team.
As a member of Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mass General Brigham, and the Boston scientific community, the candidate will be immersed in a rich environment for zebrafish genetics, cardiovascular biology, cilia signaling, molecular biology, and imaging technologies.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate will have:
- a strong background working with zebrafish
- a PhD, MD, MD/PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant field
- prior training in zebrafish husbandry and colony management, embryo micro-injection, embryo micro-dissection, confocal or light sheet microscopy, live cell imaging, quantitative image analysis, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, molecular cloning, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, recombinant protein, and/or human stem cell culture techniques
- a passion for developmental biology, cell biology, cardiovascular biology, and microscopy
- the ability to work independently and also as part of a team
- excellent written and verbal communication skills
- a strong work ethic and superb attention to details
- exceptional technical and experimental skills
- experience training and supervising junior scientists, technicians and/or students
Interested candidates should send a CV, a cover letter, and contact information for three references to Dr. Shiaulou Yuan (shiaulou.yuan@mgh.harvard.edu).
Find out more about our lab’s research: https://yuan.mgh.harvard.edu
The expected annual salary range will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications, and institutional guidelines.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
EEO Statement
Massachusetts General Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. Applications from protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged.
Job Summary
Does this position require Patient Care?
No
Physical Requirements
- Standing N/A = (0%)
- Walking N/A = (0%)
- Sitting N/A = (0%)
- Lifting N/A = (0%)
- Carrying N/A = (0%)
- Pushing N/A = (0%)
- Pulling N/A = (0%)
- Climbing N/A = (0%)
- Balancing N/A = (0%)
- Stooping N/A = (0%)
- Kneeling N/A = (0%)
- Crouching N/A = (0%)
- Crawling N/A = (0%)
- Reaching N/A = (0%)
- Gross Manipulation (Handling) N/A = (0%)
- Fine Manipulation (Fingering) N/A = (0%)
- Feeling N/A = (0%)
- Foot Use N/A = (0%)
- Vision - Far N/A = (0%)
- Vision - Near N/A = (0%)
- Talking N/A = (0%)
- Hearing N/A = (0%)
Remote Type
Onsite
Work Location
149 Thirteenth Street Building 149
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Employee Type
Regular
Work Shift
Day (United States of America)
EEO Statement:
Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.
Mass General Brigham Competency Framework
At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.
INTRODUCTION
Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.
Position Summary
The laboratory of Dr. Shiaulou Yuan at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) is seeking highly motivated candidates for a full-time postdoctoral research fellow position.
We are a multidisciplinary group of biologists, biophysicists, and microscopists who aim to understand how fluid flows and biophysical forces shape the developing heart and how these mechanisms underlie cardiac disease pathogenesis when gone awry. Specifically, we seek to illuminate how the cilium, a hair-like structure found on most cells in the human body, acts as an “antenna” to sense and translate extracellular signals into molecular processes that sculpt the early heart (Djenoune, Mahamdeh et al., Science, 2023). The penultimate goal of our research is to advance our understanding of cardiac development and diseases by combining state-of-the-art approaches from developmental biology, cell biology, genetics, biophysics, and advanced microscopy in zebrafish animal models and human stem cells.
This position offers excellent opportunities to work in a highly collaborative and multi-disciplinary biomedical atmosphere, interact with distinguished scientists, physicians and physician-scientists at MGH-Harvard, and become a valued member of a collegial and growing research team.
As a member of Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mass General Brigham, and the Boston scientific community, the candidate will be immersed in a rich environment for zebrafish genetics, cardiovascular biology, cilia signaling, molecular biology, and imaging technologies.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate will have:
- a strong background working with zebrafish
- a PhD, MD, MD/PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant field
- prior training in zebrafish husbandry and colony management, embryo micro-injection, embryo micro-dissection, confocal or light sheet microscopy, live cell imaging, quantitative image analysis, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, molecular cloning, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, recombinant protein, and/or human stem cell culture techniques
- a passion for developmental biology, cell biology, cardiovascular biology, and microscopy
- the ability to work independently and also as part of a team
- excellent written and verbal communication skills
- a strong work ethic and superb attention to details
- exceptional technical and experimental skills
- experience training and supervising junior scientists, technicians and/or students
Interested candidates should send a CV, a cover letter, and contact information for three references to Dr. Shiaulou Yuan (shiaulou.yuan@mgh.harvard.edu).
Find out more about our lab’s research: https://yuan.mgh.harvard.edu
The expected annual salary range will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications, and institutional guidelines.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
EEO Statement
Massachusetts General Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. Applications from protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged.
Job Summary
Does this position require Patient Care?
No
Physical Requirements
- Standing N/A = (0%)
- Walking N/A = (0%)
- Sitting N/A = (0%)
- Lifting N/A = (0%)
- Carrying N/A = (0%)
- Pushing N/A = (0%)
- Pulling N/A = (0%)
- Climbing N/A = (0%)
- Balancing N/A = (0%)
- Stooping N/A = (0%)
- Kneeling N/A = (0%)
- Crouching N/A = (0%)
- Crawling N/A = (0%)
- Reaching N/A = (0%)
- Gross Manipulation (Handling) N/A = (0%)
- Fine Manipulation (Fingering) N/A = (0%)
- Feeling N/A = (0%)
- Foot Use N/A = (0%)
- Vision - Far N/A = (0%)
- Vision - Near N/A = (0%)
- Talking N/A = (0%)
- Hearing N/A = (0%)
Remote Type
Onsite
Work Location
149 Thirteenth Street Building 149
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Employee Type
Regular
Work Shift
Day (United States of America)
EEO Statement:
Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.
Mass General Brigham Competency Framework
At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.
See all 489+ Biology jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Biology roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Biology
Verify your degree meets specialty occupation requirements
Your biology degree must directly relate to the specific role, not just the broad field. A cell biology degree supporting a molecular diagnostics position is a strong match. A general biology degree for a highly specialized genomics role may trigger an RFE from USCIS.
Target employers with active LCA filing histories
Use Migrate Mate to filter biology roles by employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for your occupation code. This surfaces companies already set up to sponsor H-1B petitions rather than those encountering the process for the first time.
Distinguish research institution from industry timelines
Universities and nonprofit research institutions are cap-exempt, meaning they can file H-1B petitions year-round with no lottery. Biotech and pharma employers are cap-subject and must register in March for an October 1 start date.
Confirm your SOC code before the prevailing wage step
Biology roles span multiple Standard Occupational Classification codes: microbiologists, biochemists, medical scientists, and zoologists each have distinct wage levels. Run your specific SOC code through the OFLC Wage Search before your employer files the LCA to catch any misclassification early.
Ask about postdoc-to-H-1B transition timing explicitly
Many postdoctoral appointments are funded through J-1 or F-1 OPT status. If you're converting from a postdoc to a permanent research position, confirm with your employer whether they'll file for a change of status or require consular processing, since two-year home residency requirements on some J-1 waivers affect eligibility.
Document publication and grant records for specialty occupation evidence
USCIS increasingly requests evidence that a biology role genuinely requires degree-level expertise. Peer-reviewed publications, grant co-investigator credits, and patent contributions strengthen the specialty occupation argument in your employer's I-129 petition beyond the job description alone.
Biology jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Biology JobsBiology H-1B Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Do biology jobs qualify as H-1B specialty occupations?
Most professional biology roles qualify as specialty occupations because they require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific biological science. Roles such as research scientist, microbiologist, biochemist, and clinical research associate routinely meet the standard. The exact SOC code matters: USCIS evaluates whether the specific position, not the general field, requires that degree as a minimum entry requirement.
Which types of biology employers sponsor H-1B visas most frequently?
Pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, biotech firms, hospital research divisions, and universities are the most frequent H-1B sponsors for biology roles. University and nonprofit research employers are cap-exempt and can file petitions at any time of year. For-profit biotech and pharma employers are subject to the annual 85,000-slot cap and the April lottery registration window. You can browse employers by their LCA filing history on Migrate Mate.
Can my employer file an H-1B petition while I'm still on OPT?
Yes, and timing is critical. If your OPT authorization expires before October 1 and your employer files during the regular cap season, you'll need cap-gap protection under federal regulations to stay authorized between OPT expiration and your H-1B start date. Your employer should file in April so USCIS receives the petition before your OPT end date for cap-gap coverage to apply automatically.
What documentation should I gather before a biology employer files my H-1B petition?
Prepare certified transcripts showing your degree in a specific biological discipline, any credential evaluations if your degree is from outside the U.S., a current resume with your full employment history, and copies of any publications or patents if your role involves research. Your employer's attorney will also need your passport, current immigration status documents, and a detailed job description tied to your SOC code.
How does the H-1B prevailing wage requirement affect biology job offers?
The DOL requires employers to pay at least the prevailing wage for your specific biology occupation, SOC code, and work location before certifying the LCA. Wage levels run from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). A research associate role in a high-cost metro typically falls at a higher wage level than the same title in a rural area. You can verify the applicable wage using the OFLC Wage Search before negotiating your offer.
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