J-1 Visa AI Research Engineer Jobs
AI Research Engineer roles in the U.S. are accessible to international professionals through J-1 visa sponsorship, typically under the Research Scholar or Trainee program category. A designated sponsor organization issues your DS-2019, while your host employer provides the research environment. No lottery, no annual cap.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Build a Safer World. TRM Labs provides blockchain analytics and AI solutions to help law enforcement and national security agencies, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency businesses detect, investigate, and disrupt crypto-related fraud and financial crime. TRM’s blockchain intelligence and AI platforms include solutions to trace the source and destination of funds, identify illicit activity, build cases, and construct an operating picture of threats. TRM is trusted by leading agencies and businesses worldwide who rely on TRM to enable a safer, more secure world for all.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The AI Research Engineer will join our AI Engineering team, a group focused on advancing model selection, fine-tuning, and evaluation strategies for production-scale AI systems. As a senior individual contributor, this person will lead technical efforts to push the boundaries of model performance and orchestration, directly impacting the competitiveness of our AI Engineering platform.
The Impact You Will Have
- Design, build, and own a production-grade evaluation system that drives measurable improvements in model accuracy and latency.
- Lead experimentation, fine-tuning, and feedback-based evaluation loops for continuous model optimization.
- Advance the orchestration of AI/ML systems, ensuring scalable, resilient, and high-impact deployments.
- Elevate technical standards through engineering craftsmanship, mentorship, and leadership as a senior IC.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Advanced programming expertise in Python and SQL, with strong system design skills.
- Deep experience deploying machine learning/deep learning models in production (LLM/GenAI strongly preferred).
- Strong foundation in experimentation frameworks, evaluation metrics, and ML Ops practices.
- Proven ability to own critical systems end-to-end and collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners.
ABOUT THE TEAM
- The AI Engineering team operates with a high level of collaboration and interdependence, fostering an inclusive culture where connections extend beyond work. We value diverse personalities and seek someone who is both results-driven and sociable, with strong communication, leadership, and teamwork skills, along with a positive, solutions-oriented mindset.
- As a globally distributed team, members may observe different timezones. However, most of the team will overlap between the hours of 7am-12pm PST for meetings and collaboration.
- All team members, regardless of location must have at least 4 hour overlap with PST business hours.
- The team is involved in 2 different on-calls:
- Analytics on-call: only requires focus on working time (average of < 1 hour a day every month).
- Data Science on-call: full week on-call to ensure Data Science pipelines are running smoothly (average of 1-2 hours a day every 3 months).
LIFE AT TRM
We are building a safer world. That promise shows up in how we work every day. TRM moves quickly. We are a high velocity, high ownership team that expects clarity, follow-through, and impact. People who thrive here are energized by hard problems, experimentation, and continuous feedback. If something takes months elsewhere, it will ship here in days. Our work sits at the intersection of AI, national security, and fighting financial crime. The problems are complex, the stakes are real, and the environment evolves quickly. The pace and intensity of the work reflect the importance of the mission. As a result, the way we operate requires a high level of ownership, adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
At TRM, You Should Expect
- Priorities and targets to change quickly as we experiment and iterate.
- Work that often requires operating with a high degree of ambiguity.
- A high level of personal ownership and accountability.
- Close collaboration across teams and functions.
- Frequent, high-touch communication.
- Creative problem solving and out-of-the-box thinking.
- A pace that rewards urgency, adaptability, and outcomes.
This environment is energizing for people who enjoy building, solving hard problems, and making progress in situations that are not always fully defined. It also requires comfort navigating ambiguity, adjusting course as new information emerges, and maintaining focus and positivity in a fast-moving and intense environment. We also recognize that this style of operating is not for everyone. If you are primarily optimizing for predictability or a consistently balanced workload, we encourage you to use the interview process to pressure test whether this environment is truly the right fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here. At the same time, many people find this work deeply rewarding. If you are excited by meaningful problems, motivated by ambitious goals, and energized by working alongside mission-driven colleagues, there is a good chance you will find TRM to be an exceptional place to grow and contribute.
AI FLUENCY AT TRM
AI fluency is a baseline expectation at TRM. We believe AI meaningfully changes how top performers operate. We expect every team member to use AI to accelerate and reimagine their craft, not just automate surface tasks. At TRM, AI Fluency Means You Are Among The Top 10 Percent Of Operators In Your Function In How You Apply AI To
- Accelerate repeatable workflows.
- Structure and solve problems.
- Improve output quality.
- Increase speed and leverage.
You will be evaluated on applied AI fluency during the interview process.
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
We hire and grow against three leadership principles. They’re the standards for how we operate, treat each other, and make decisions.
- Impact-Oriented Trailblazer: We put customers first and move with speed, focus, and adaptability. We treat every plan like an experiment – test, ship, measure, and iterate quickly.
- Master Craftsperson: We care deeply about our craft. We balance speed with high standards, own outcomes end-to-end, and invest in getting better everyday.
- Inspiring Colleague: We add clarity and energy, not noise. We bring humility, candor, and a one-team mindset — giving and receiving feedback to make the team stronger.
JOIN OUR MISSION
At TRM we care deeply about our craft. We are looking for individuals who want their work to matter, who experiment with speed and rigor, and who take pride in building a safer world for billions of people. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply — we hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast. TRM is a Series C company with $220M in total funding, backed by Blockchain Capital, Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, and others. Headquartered in San Francisco, TRM operates as a distributed-first company with hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., London, and Singapore.
Privacy Policy And Additional Information
By submitting your application, you are agreeing to allow TRM to process your personal information in accordance with the TRM Privacy Policy. Our typical hiring cycles for specialized roles span 24 to 36 months. Accordingly, we retain your personal information for up to 36 months to evaluate your application and to consider you for current and future employment opportunities, unless you request earlier deletion or a different retention period is required or permitted by law. To notify TRM Labs that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this form.
Recruitment agencies
TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.
INTRODUCTION
Build a Safer World. TRM Labs provides blockchain analytics and AI solutions to help law enforcement and national security agencies, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency businesses detect, investigate, and disrupt crypto-related fraud and financial crime. TRM’s blockchain intelligence and AI platforms include solutions to trace the source and destination of funds, identify illicit activity, build cases, and construct an operating picture of threats. TRM is trusted by leading agencies and businesses worldwide who rely on TRM to enable a safer, more secure world for all.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The AI Research Engineer will join our AI Engineering team, a group focused on advancing model selection, fine-tuning, and evaluation strategies for production-scale AI systems. As a senior individual contributor, this person will lead technical efforts to push the boundaries of model performance and orchestration, directly impacting the competitiveness of our AI Engineering platform.
The Impact You Will Have
- Design, build, and own a production-grade evaluation system that drives measurable improvements in model accuracy and latency.
- Lead experimentation, fine-tuning, and feedback-based evaluation loops for continuous model optimization.
- Advance the orchestration of AI/ML systems, ensuring scalable, resilient, and high-impact deployments.
- Elevate technical standards through engineering craftsmanship, mentorship, and leadership as a senior IC.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Advanced programming expertise in Python and SQL, with strong system design skills.
- Deep experience deploying machine learning/deep learning models in production (LLM/GenAI strongly preferred).
- Strong foundation in experimentation frameworks, evaluation metrics, and ML Ops practices.
- Proven ability to own critical systems end-to-end and collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners.
ABOUT THE TEAM
- The AI Engineering team operates with a high level of collaboration and interdependence, fostering an inclusive culture where connections extend beyond work. We value diverse personalities and seek someone who is both results-driven and sociable, with strong communication, leadership, and teamwork skills, along with a positive, solutions-oriented mindset.
- As a globally distributed team, members may observe different timezones. However, most of the team will overlap between the hours of 7am-12pm PST for meetings and collaboration.
- All team members, regardless of location must have at least 4 hour overlap with PST business hours.
- The team is involved in 2 different on-calls:
- Analytics on-call: only requires focus on working time (average of < 1 hour a day every month).
- Data Science on-call: full week on-call to ensure Data Science pipelines are running smoothly (average of 1-2 hours a day every 3 months).
LIFE AT TRM
We are building a safer world. That promise shows up in how we work every day. TRM moves quickly. We are a high velocity, high ownership team that expects clarity, follow-through, and impact. People who thrive here are energized by hard problems, experimentation, and continuous feedback. If something takes months elsewhere, it will ship here in days. Our work sits at the intersection of AI, national security, and fighting financial crime. The problems are complex, the stakes are real, and the environment evolves quickly. The pace and intensity of the work reflect the importance of the mission. As a result, the way we operate requires a high level of ownership, adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
At TRM, You Should Expect
- Priorities and targets to change quickly as we experiment and iterate.
- Work that often requires operating with a high degree of ambiguity.
- A high level of personal ownership and accountability.
- Close collaboration across teams and functions.
- Frequent, high-touch communication.
- Creative problem solving and out-of-the-box thinking.
- A pace that rewards urgency, adaptability, and outcomes.
This environment is energizing for people who enjoy building, solving hard problems, and making progress in situations that are not always fully defined. It also requires comfort navigating ambiguity, adjusting course as new information emerges, and maintaining focus and positivity in a fast-moving and intense environment. We also recognize that this style of operating is not for everyone. If you are primarily optimizing for predictability or a consistently balanced workload, we encourage you to use the interview process to pressure test whether this environment is truly the right fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here. At the same time, many people find this work deeply rewarding. If you are excited by meaningful problems, motivated by ambitious goals, and energized by working alongside mission-driven colleagues, there is a good chance you will find TRM to be an exceptional place to grow and contribute.
AI FLUENCY AT TRM
AI fluency is a baseline expectation at TRM. We believe AI meaningfully changes how top performers operate. We expect every team member to use AI to accelerate and reimagine their craft, not just automate surface tasks. At TRM, AI Fluency Means You Are Among The Top 10 Percent Of Operators In Your Function In How You Apply AI To
- Accelerate repeatable workflows.
- Structure and solve problems.
- Improve output quality.
- Increase speed and leverage.
You will be evaluated on applied AI fluency during the interview process.
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
We hire and grow against three leadership principles. They’re the standards for how we operate, treat each other, and make decisions.
- Impact-Oriented Trailblazer: We put customers first and move with speed, focus, and adaptability. We treat every plan like an experiment – test, ship, measure, and iterate quickly.
- Master Craftsperson: We care deeply about our craft. We balance speed with high standards, own outcomes end-to-end, and invest in getting better everyday.
- Inspiring Colleague: We add clarity and energy, not noise. We bring humility, candor, and a one-team mindset — giving and receiving feedback to make the team stronger.
JOIN OUR MISSION
At TRM we care deeply about our craft. We are looking for individuals who want their work to matter, who experiment with speed and rigor, and who take pride in building a safer world for billions of people. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply — we hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast. TRM is a Series C company with $220M in total funding, backed by Blockchain Capital, Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, and others. Headquartered in San Francisco, TRM operates as a distributed-first company with hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., London, and Singapore.
Privacy Policy And Additional Information
By submitting your application, you are agreeing to allow TRM to process your personal information in accordance with the TRM Privacy Policy. Our typical hiring cycles for specialized roles span 24 to 36 months. Accordingly, we retain your personal information for up to 36 months to evaluate your application and to consider you for current and future employment opportunities, unless you request earlier deletion or a different retention period is required or permitted by law. To notify TRM Labs that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this form.
Recruitment agencies
TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.
See all 86+ AI Research Engineer jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new AI Research Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as an AI Research Engineer
Align your research focus with host expectations
Research Scholar and Trainee program categories both require a structured training plan tied to your academic or professional background. Document your AI specialization, computer vision, NLP, reinforcement learning, before outreach so hosts can match your profile to an active project.
Verify whether your role carries the two-year rule
AI Research Engineer positions at government-funded labs or in fields on the State Department's Skills List often trigger a two-year home residency requirement. Confirm your country and funding source with your designated sponsor before accepting any offer.
Target host employers with existing sponsor relationships
Universities, national laboratories, and corporate R&D divisions that have hosted J-1 researchers before already know the DS-2019 process. Use Migrate Mate to identify AI Research Engineer roles at organizations with documented J-1 sponsorship history.
Check prevailing wage compliance before negotiating compensation
Your host employer must pay wages consistent with what DOL requires for the role and location. Run the OFLC Wage Search for the AI Research Engineer occupation in your target metro before entering salary discussions so you can flag shortfalls early.
Prepare your program plan before sponsor outreach
Designated sponsors like IIE or Cultural Vistas require a detailed training or research plan before issuing a DS-2019. Draft a project scope, learning objectives, and supervision structure so your host employer can co-sign a complete application from the start.
Clarify publication and IP rights during offer negotiation
J-1 Research Scholar status does not restrict publication rights by default, but many corporate host employers include IP assignment clauses. Negotiate authorship and patent terms in your offer letter before your sponsor finalizes the DS-2019, not after.
AI Research Engineer jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find AI Research Engineer JobsAI Research Engineer J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits an AI Research Engineer role?
It depends on your career stage. Current graduate students doing a research placement typically use the Intern category. Professionals with a degree and at least one year of relevant experience qualify for the Trainee category. Postdoctoral researchers and faculty conducting independent research at a U.S. institution fall under the Research Scholar category, which is the most common path for AI research roles at universities and national labs.
Who actually sponsors the J-1 visa for an AI Research Engineer?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, not your host employer. Entities like IIE, Cultural Vistas, or a university's international office issue the DS-2019 form and maintain compliance oversight. Your host employer, whether a corporate R&D team or a research institute, is the organization you work for but is not the legal sponsor of record under J-1 rules.
How do I find AI Research Engineer host employers open to J-1 arrangements?
Most job postings don't advertise J-1 compatibility directly, so filtering by organization type is more reliable than keyword searching. Migrate Mate lets you search for AI Research Engineer roles at employers with a history of hosting international researchers, saving significant time compared to manually screening postings. University-affiliated research centers and federally funded labs are consistently strong targets.
Does the two-year home residency requirement affect AI Research Engineers?
Yes, frequently. AI Research Engineers who receive funding from their home government, work in a field listed on the State Department's Exchange Visitor Skills List, or come from a country on that list may be subject to a two-year foreign residency requirement before switching to H-1B or a green card. Your designated sponsor will identify whether the requirement applies based on your specific situation during the DS-2019 process.
Can a corporate AI research lab host a J-1 Research Scholar?
Yes, but there are conditions. Corporate hosts must partner with a State Department-designated sponsor organization to issue the DS-2019, and the research must be genuinely scholarly rather than purely commercial product development. Labs at companies like Google Brain or Microsoft Research have hosted J-1 scholars through this arrangement. Migrate Mate can help you identify which corporate research environments have an established track record with J-1 hosting so you aren't starting that conversation from scratch.
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