J-1 Visa ML Research Engineer Jobs
ML Research Engineer roles in the U.S. typically qualify for J-1 visa sponsorship under the Research Scholar or Specialist category, issued through a State Department-designated sponsor organization. Your host employer pairs with a sponsor to issue the DS-2019. No lottery, no annual cap, but some positions carry a two-year home residency requirement.
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Get Access To All JobsWe are deploying machine learning directly onto custom hardware – and we want you to help drive it forward. This PhD internship is an opportunity to work on research that has direct impact on IMC's work tackling open problems at the frontier of low-latency ML inference and hardware acceleration.
You'll work alongside IMC engineers in one of the most demanding low-latency computing environments in the world. You'll own a focused research project from start to finish, present your findings to the team, and leave behind a prototype or benchmark that we can build on.
Your Core Responsibilities
- Architect and develop an ML focused research project based on a real-world trading environment
- Work hands-on with hardware engineers to implement, verify, and deploy ML inference solutions
- Track and evaluate emerging research in neural architecture search, machine learning systems and quantization methods, and determine what translates to measurable improvements in our systems
- Present your project to the team, deepening our collective understanding of an area of ML acceleration
- Gain hardware design fundamentals from skilled RTL developers and learn how they apply to our industry
- Build skills to evaluate research not only from an academic perspective, but through real-world performance constraints, engineering costs, and industry impact
Your Skills and Experience
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field
- Solid understanding of hardware constraints and design trade-offs (e.g., pipelining, resource utilization, fixed-point arithmetic) that shape how ML models can be efficiently mapped onto FPGAs or custom ASICs
- Experience with hardware fundamentals, whether through VHDL/SystemVerilog development, HLS tools, or ML-to-hardware frameworks like hls4ml, FINN, or Vitis AI
- Understanding of machine learning fundamentals – neural network architectures, inference optimization, quantization techniques, ML frameworks such as PyTorch/TensorFlow
- Proficiency in Python or similar languages for tooling, testing, and simulation
- Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively across disciplines with both technical and non-technical teams
You may submit one application per role each year. We strongly encourage you to focus on applying to a single role that best matches your skills and interests. Though you may apply to multiple roles, please note that each application will be evaluated based on the specific criteria established for that particular role. If you have already applied for this position during the current recruitment season and were not selected, you may reapply when the next recruitment season begins in 2027.
The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information.
Base Salary: $225,000
About us
IMC is a global trading firm powered by a cutting-edge research environment and a world-class technology backbone. Since 1989, we’ve been a stabilizing force in financial markets, providing essential liquidity upon which market participants depend. Across our offices in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, and India, our talented quant researchers, engineers, traders, and business operations professionals are united by our uniquely collaborative, high-performance culture, and our commitment to giving back. From entering dynamic new markets to embracing disruptive technologies, and from developing an innovative research environment to diversifying our trading strategies, we dare to continuously innovate and collaborate to succeed.
We are deploying machine learning directly onto custom hardware – and we want you to help drive it forward. This PhD internship is an opportunity to work on research that has direct impact on IMC's work tackling open problems at the frontier of low-latency ML inference and hardware acceleration.
You'll work alongside IMC engineers in one of the most demanding low-latency computing environments in the world. You'll own a focused research project from start to finish, present your findings to the team, and leave behind a prototype or benchmark that we can build on.
Your Core Responsibilities
- Architect and develop an ML focused research project based on a real-world trading environment
- Work hands-on with hardware engineers to implement, verify, and deploy ML inference solutions
- Track and evaluate emerging research in neural architecture search, machine learning systems and quantization methods, and determine what translates to measurable improvements in our systems
- Present your project to the team, deepening our collective understanding of an area of ML acceleration
- Gain hardware design fundamentals from skilled RTL developers and learn how they apply to our industry
- Build skills to evaluate research not only from an academic perspective, but through real-world performance constraints, engineering costs, and industry impact
Your Skills and Experience
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field
- Solid understanding of hardware constraints and design trade-offs (e.g., pipelining, resource utilization, fixed-point arithmetic) that shape how ML models can be efficiently mapped onto FPGAs or custom ASICs
- Experience with hardware fundamentals, whether through VHDL/SystemVerilog development, HLS tools, or ML-to-hardware frameworks like hls4ml, FINN, or Vitis AI
- Understanding of machine learning fundamentals – neural network architectures, inference optimization, quantization techniques, ML frameworks such as PyTorch/TensorFlow
- Proficiency in Python or similar languages for tooling, testing, and simulation
- Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively across disciplines with both technical and non-technical teams
You may submit one application per role each year. We strongly encourage you to focus on applying to a single role that best matches your skills and interests. Though you may apply to multiple roles, please note that each application will be evaluated based on the specific criteria established for that particular role. If you have already applied for this position during the current recruitment season and were not selected, you may reapply when the next recruitment season begins in 2027.
The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information.
Base Salary: $225,000
About us
IMC is a global trading firm powered by a cutting-edge research environment and a world-class technology backbone. Since 1989, we’ve been a stabilizing force in financial markets, providing essential liquidity upon which market participants depend. Across our offices in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, and India, our talented quant researchers, engineers, traders, and business operations professionals are united by our uniquely collaborative, high-performance culture, and our commitment to giving back. From entering dynamic new markets to embracing disruptive technologies, and from developing an innovative research environment to diversifying our trading strategies, we dare to continuously innovate and collaborate to succeed.
See all J-1 Visa ML Research Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as a ML Research Engineer
Verify your DS-2019 category before applying
Research Scholar suits postdoctoral or faculty-level ML research appointments; Specialist fits industry roles requiring unique expertise. Applying under the wrong category delays your DS-2019 issuance and can require restarting the sponsor vetting process entirely.
Check whether your role triggers the two-year rule
ML Research Engineer positions funded by a U.S. government agency or your home country's government often carry the two-year home residency requirement. Confirm funding sources with your host employer before accepting an offer, since this affects future H-1B visa or green card eligibility.
Document your research output for the training plan
Designated sponsors require a detailed training plan outlining your ML research objectives, methodologies, and measurable outcomes. Prepare a written summary of your publications, model architectures worked on, and datasets used so your host can complete the DS-7002 accurately.
Target host employers with existing sponsor relationships
Universities, national labs like Argonne or Oak Ridge, and research-intensive companies already affiliated with a designated sponsor can issue your DS-2019 faster. Use Migrate Mate to identify U.S. ML Research Engineer roles at organizations that routinely host J-1 exchange visitors.
Align your visa timeline with research grant cycles
Many ML research positions are grant-funded on annual or biennial cycles. Confirm your host employer's funding runway before the DS-2019 is issued, because J-1 Research Scholar status is tied to the program end date on the form and extensions require sponsor approval.
Clarify who files your SEVIS record before accepting an offer
Your host employer does not file SEVIS directly. The designated sponsor organization holds the SEVIS batch-filing account and submits your record. Confirm which sponsor your host works with and whether that sponsor is already approved for Research Scholar or Specialist category programs.
ML Research Engineer J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits an ML Research Engineer role?
Most ML Research Engineer positions fall under the Research Scholar category, which covers individuals conducting research at universities, research institutes, or affiliated industry labs. If your role is more specialized and project-bound rather than open-ended academic research, the Specialist category may apply. Current students on a degree program who are completing a structured placement may qualify as Interns instead.
Who actually sponsors a J-1 visa for an ML Research Engineer, the employer or a separate organization?
A U.S. Department of State-designated sponsor organization issues your DS-2019 and holds legal responsibility for your exchange program, not your host employer. Organizations like IIE or Cultural Vistas commonly serve this role for research and specialist programs. Your host employer provides the research position and funds your work, but the designated sponsor manages SEVIS compliance and program monitoring throughout your stay.
Does an ML Research Engineer position trigger the two-year home residency requirement?
It depends on your funding source and home country. If your position is funded by a U.S. government agency or by your home country's government, or if your country is on the State Department's skills list, the two-year home residency requirement applies. This bars you from switching to H-1B or most immigrant visa categories without first returning home or obtaining a waiver through USCIS.
How do I find U.S. employers that regularly host J-1 ML Research Engineers?
Use Migrate Mate to search for ML Research Engineer roles at U.S. employers with a track record of hosting J-1 exchange visitors. National laboratories, R1 research universities, and large technology companies with academic research divisions are common host environments. Targeting employers already affiliated with a designated sponsor shortens the DS-2019 issuance timeline considerably.
Can I work on proprietary ML models as a J-1 Research Scholar, or does the role need to be purely academic?
J-1 Research Scholars can conduct research in industry settings as long as the primary purpose is research or knowledge exchange rather than production engineering. If your day-to-day work shifts toward product development, deployment pipelines, or revenue-generating model delivery, your designated sponsor may determine the role no longer meets Research Scholar program requirements and could terminate your DS-2019.