H-1B Visa Research Engineer Jobs
Research Engineer roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations when they require at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a directly related field. Many research-focused employers file H-1B petitions annually, and roles at universities or nonprofit research institutions may qualify for cap-exempt status, bypassing the lottery entirely.
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Get Access To All JobsYour Impact at LILA
The Senior Research Associate, Cell Culture Operations will be responsible for the day-to-day execution and maintenance of mammalian cell culture activities that support LILA's research programs. This is a highly hands-on role focused on reliability, consistency, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate brings strong bench fundamentals, meticulous documentation habits, and the ability to support the translation of manual workflows into automation-compatible processes as LILA's capabilities evolve.
What You'll Be Building
- Perform routine and advanced mammalian cell culture (maintenance, expansion, passaging, cryopreservation, thawing) across adherent and suspension cultures spanning a wide variety of cell types (immortalized lines, primary cells, stem cell–derived cultures, patient-derived lines, co-cultures, etc.); monitor cell health, adapt culture conditions for sensitive/non-standard cell types, and troubleshoot issues as they arise
- Manage cell banks (inventory, quality checks, characterization records such as STR profiling and mycoplasma status) and coordinate reagent/consumable procurement to ensure uninterrupted cell supply for research and platform teams
- Perform flow cytometry / FACS acquisition and analysis for cell characterization and quality checks
- Help bring cell culture onto our automated platform — translating manual protocols into automated/semi-automated workflows, executing and troubleshooting runs, and verifying performance against manual benchmarks
- Operate liquid handlers and other automated/semi-automated lab systems hands-on for cell culture and downstream workflows
- Author and improve SOPs to streamline operations, reduce variability, and improve consistency across cell types and workflows
- Coordinate with research and platform teams on cell supply needs and timelines, support onboarding of new cell types, and analyze/present cell culture and cell health data (e.g., viability statistic gates, trend monitoring) to stakeholders
- Maintain a clean, safe, and organized lab in accordance with biosafety guidelines (e.g., BSL-2), and mentor/train junior Research Associates on aseptic technique, cell-type-specific handling, and automated workflow execution
What You'll Need To Succeed
- Bachelor's degree in Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or related life sciences field with 4+ years of relevant hands-on cell culture experience, or Master's degree with 2+ years of experience
- Demonstrated experience culturing a broad range of mammalian cell types — including primary cells, stem cells, iPSC-derived cells, or other sensitive/complex cultures — with strong aseptic technique and a track record of maintaining healthy, contamination-free cultures across varied conditions
- Comfort working across multiple concurrent projects with shifting priorities and cell types in a research (non-GMP) environment, independently troubleshooting culture issues and diagnosing subtle changes in cell health or behavior
- Hands-on experience with flow cytometry / FACS acquisition and analysis, and with liquid handlers or other automated/semi-automated lab systems
- Comfort with data analysis, presentation, and interpreting cell health statistics/gating, along with excellent documentation habits (ELN or similar record-keeping systems)
- Excellent communicator and collaborator, able to work with scientists across research programs as well as partner with automation, software, data, and robotics teams to translate cell culture needs into platform requirements
Bonus Points For
- Experience with primary cell isolation, expansion, or maintenance (e.g., PBMCs, hepatocytes, neurons, cell lines), including iPSC culture, differentiation protocols, or 3D culture systems
- Familiarity with cell line authentication and quality control practices (STR profiling, mycoplasma testing)
- Experience developing and validating new culture protocols from the literature or from scratch, in a shared/core lab or multi-project R&D support role
- Experience translating manual cell culture protocols into automated or semi-automated workflows, along with reagent/consumable inventory management or procurement coordination
- Comfort using AI-native tools for troubleshooting, data analysis, and workflow support
Compensation
We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.
U.S. Benefits.
Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.
International Benefits.
Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.
Expected Base Salary Range: $80,000 USD - $102,000 USD
About LILA
Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves. LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
Your Impact at LILA
The Senior Research Associate, Cell Culture Operations will be responsible for the day-to-day execution and maintenance of mammalian cell culture activities that support LILA's research programs. This is a highly hands-on role focused on reliability, consistency, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate brings strong bench fundamentals, meticulous documentation habits, and the ability to support the translation of manual workflows into automation-compatible processes as LILA's capabilities evolve.
What You'll Be Building
- Perform routine and advanced mammalian cell culture (maintenance, expansion, passaging, cryopreservation, thawing) across adherent and suspension cultures spanning a wide variety of cell types (immortalized lines, primary cells, stem cell–derived cultures, patient-derived lines, co-cultures, etc.); monitor cell health, adapt culture conditions for sensitive/non-standard cell types, and troubleshoot issues as they arise
- Manage cell banks (inventory, quality checks, characterization records such as STR profiling and mycoplasma status) and coordinate reagent/consumable procurement to ensure uninterrupted cell supply for research and platform teams
- Perform flow cytometry / FACS acquisition and analysis for cell characterization and quality checks
- Help bring cell culture onto our automated platform — translating manual protocols into automated/semi-automated workflows, executing and troubleshooting runs, and verifying performance against manual benchmarks
- Operate liquid handlers and other automated/semi-automated lab systems hands-on for cell culture and downstream workflows
- Author and improve SOPs to streamline operations, reduce variability, and improve consistency across cell types and workflows
- Coordinate with research and platform teams on cell supply needs and timelines, support onboarding of new cell types, and analyze/present cell culture and cell health data (e.g., viability statistic gates, trend monitoring) to stakeholders
- Maintain a clean, safe, and organized lab in accordance with biosafety guidelines (e.g., BSL-2), and mentor/train junior Research Associates on aseptic technique, cell-type-specific handling, and automated workflow execution
What You'll Need To Succeed
- Bachelor's degree in Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or related life sciences field with 4+ years of relevant hands-on cell culture experience, or Master's degree with 2+ years of experience
- Demonstrated experience culturing a broad range of mammalian cell types — including primary cells, stem cells, iPSC-derived cells, or other sensitive/complex cultures — with strong aseptic technique and a track record of maintaining healthy, contamination-free cultures across varied conditions
- Comfort working across multiple concurrent projects with shifting priorities and cell types in a research (non-GMP) environment, independently troubleshooting culture issues and diagnosing subtle changes in cell health or behavior
- Hands-on experience with flow cytometry / FACS acquisition and analysis, and with liquid handlers or other automated/semi-automated lab systems
- Comfort with data analysis, presentation, and interpreting cell health statistics/gating, along with excellent documentation habits (ELN or similar record-keeping systems)
- Excellent communicator and collaborator, able to work with scientists across research programs as well as partner with automation, software, data, and robotics teams to translate cell culture needs into platform requirements
Bonus Points For
- Experience with primary cell isolation, expansion, or maintenance (e.g., PBMCs, hepatocytes, neurons, cell lines), including iPSC culture, differentiation protocols, or 3D culture systems
- Familiarity with cell line authentication and quality control practices (STR profiling, mycoplasma testing)
- Experience developing and validating new culture protocols from the literature or from scratch, in a shared/core lab or multi-project R&D support role
- Experience translating manual cell culture protocols into automated or semi-automated workflows, along with reagent/consumable inventory management or procurement coordination
- Comfort using AI-native tools for troubleshooting, data analysis, and workflow support
Compensation
We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.
U.S. Benefits.
Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.
International Benefits.
Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.
Expected Base Salary Range: $80,000 USD - $102,000 USD
About LILA
Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves. LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
See all 25,972+ H-1B Visa Research Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Research Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as a Research Engineer
Verify your degree field matches the role
USCIS requires your degree to directly relate to the research engineering position, not just STEM broadly. A mechanical engineering degree supporting a materials research role clears this bar; a general business degree typically doesn't. Check the O*NET profile for your specific research discipline.
Target cap-exempt research employers first
Universities, affiliated research institutions, and nonprofits attached to higher education are cap-exempt, meaning they can file your H-1B petition any time without lottery selection. Pursue these employers if you need status sooner than the next October 1 start date.
Search H-1B filing history on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to filter Research Engineer openings by employers with verified H-1B LCA filing history, so you're applying to companies that have already committed to sponsoring this role type rather than hoping a recruiter can answer the question.
Ask employers about their prevailing wage tier
Your H-1B petition requires DOL certification at a prevailing wage level for your specific SOC code and work location. Use the OFLC Wage Search before your offer conversation to understand which wage tier the employer is likely filing at for your role and metro area.
Prepare a publications and IP disclosure summary
Research Engineer petitions often require evidence of specialized expertise. Compile a list of published papers, patents, conference presentations, or proprietary research contributions before your employer starts the H-1B filing process. This documentation speeds up RFE responses if USCIS questions specialty occupation.
Confirm premium processing availability before accepting
USCIS offers premium processing for H-1B petitions, which targets a 15-business-day adjudication window. If your project timeline or start date is fixed, confirm your employer is willing to file with premium processing before you give notice at a current position.
H-1B Visa Research Engineer: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Research Engineer role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, provided the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field such as electrical engineering, computer science, materials science, or a comparable discipline. USCIS evaluates whether the specific research tasks require theoretical and practical application of highly specialized knowledge. Generic research assistant roles without a defined degree requirement may not qualify, so the job description wording matters significantly.
Can I get an H-1B as a Research Engineer without going through the lottery?
Yes, if your employer is cap-exempt. Universities, nonprofit research organizations, and government research labs are not subject to the annual H-1B cap or lottery. If you're employed by or working at one of these institutions, your employer can file your petition at any point in the year. Roles at for-profit tech or pharmaceutical research divisions are generally cap-subject and require lottery selection.
What documentation does my employer need to file an H-1B for a Research Engineer?
Your employer needs a certified Labor Condition Application from DOL, which covers the prevailing wage for your SOC code and work location. They'll also need evidence that the role is a specialty occupation, typically supported by your academic credentials, any licenses, and documentation of the research scope. Your published work, patents, or research portfolio can strengthen the petition if USCIS issues an RFE.
How do I find Research Engineer employers who actually sponsor H-1B visas?
Migrate Mate shows Research Engineer openings filtered by employers with verified H-1B LCA filing history, so you're not guessing whether a company sponsors. You can also cross-reference the OFLC Wage Search to see what prevailing wage tier employers have filed for comparable roles in specific metro areas, which gives you a clearer picture of hiring patterns before you apply.
What happens to my H-1B if my research project ends or my employer loses funding?
Your H-1B status is tied to your employer, not the specific project. If your employment ends, you have a 60-day grace period under USCIS rules to find a new sponsor, change status, or depart. A new employer can file an H-1B transfer petition during this window, and you can begin work for the new employer once USCIS receives the petition, not after approval.