J-1 Visa AI Researcher Jobs
AI Researcher roles in the United States are typically available to exchange visitors under the J-1 visa Research Scholar or Short-Term Scholar program category, with sponsorship issued by a State Department-designated organization. Host institutions range from university labs to federal research centers and private R&D divisions actively hosting J-1 exchange visitors.
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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 64+ J-1 Visa AI Researcher Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new J-1 Visa AI Researcher Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship in AI Researcher
Align your CV to Research Scholar criteria
The J-1 Research Scholar category requires postgraduate-level research credentials. Document your publications, lab affiliations, and funded projects explicitly, since the designated sponsor evaluates academic standing before issuing your DS-2019.
Target host institutions with existing J-1 agreements
Universities, national labs, and corporate R&D centers that regularly host J-1 Research Scholars already have agreements with a designated sponsor organization. Prioritize these employers to avoid delays caused by a host negotiating sponsor terms from scratch.
Search verified roles on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to filter AI Researcher positions at U.S. employers whose hiring patterns align with J-1 exchange visitor programs, so you're applying where sponsorship pathways are already established rather than introducing the concept to an unprepared recruiter.
Clarify the two-year home residency requirement early
Many AI Researcher J-1 positions at government-funded labs trigger the two-year home-country physical presence requirement under INA Section 212(e). Confirm with your prospective host whether the role is government-financed before you accept an offer.
Submit your training plan with technical precision
Your DS-7002 training plan must outline specific AI research methodologies, tools, and learning objectives by phase. Vague plans citing only 'machine learning research' are returned for revision by the designated sponsor, adding weeks to your start timeline.
Verify wage compliance against OFLC standards
Even though the J-1 isn't subject to PERM labor certification, your host employer must pay you the prevailing wage for your occupation and location. Cross-check the offered compensation against the OFLC Wage Search before signing your host agreement.
AI Researcher J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits an AI Researcher role?
Most AI Researcher positions fall under the J-1 Research Scholar category, which is designed for postgraduate-level researchers at universities, research institutes, and corporate R&D labs. If you're still completing a degree, the Intern category may apply for structured internship programs. Short-Term Scholar covers engagements under six months, such as conference collaborations or visiting researcher stints.
Who actually sponsors the J-1 visa for an AI Researcher position?
Your J-1 visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, not your employer. The host institution where you'll conduct research arranges sponsorship through a designated organization such as IIE or Cultural Vistas, which then issues your DS-2019 form. Your employer is the host, not the sponsor. This distinction matters because the designated organization, not your employer, is responsible for your program compliance.
Does a J-1 AI Researcher role trigger the two-year home residency requirement?
It depends on the funding source and your country of nationality. Positions at federally funded research labs or roles funded by a U.S. government agency commonly trigger the two-year home-country physical presence requirement under INA Section 212(e). If triggered, you must return home for two years before changing to most immigrant or nonimmigrant statuses, unless you obtain a waiver. Confirm the funding structure with your host institution before accepting an offer.
How do I find U.S. employers open to hosting a J-1 AI Researcher?
Use Migrate Mate to identify AI Researcher openings at U.S. employers whose hiring patterns align with J-1 exchange visitor programs. Many host institutions already have sponsor agreements in place, which significantly shortens the visa issuance timeline. Targeting employers with established J-1 hosting experience means the process is familiar to their HR and legal teams.
What documents does a designated J-1 sponsor require from an AI Researcher applicant?
Designated sponsors typically require a detailed CV showing your research background, evidence of institutional affiliation, a signed DS-7002 training plan co-developed with your host supervisor, proof of English proficiency, and documentation of health insurance meeting J-1 minimums. For Research Scholar applications, sponsors also review your publication record and the scientific merit of the proposed research program before issuing the DS-2019.