J-1 Visa Research Jobs
Research positions in the United States are typically filled through the J-1 visa Research Scholar or Short-Term Scholar program category, with sponsorship issued by a State Department-designated organization like a university or research institute. Your host institution confirms the placement; the designated sponsor issues your DS-2019 and monitors program compliance.
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At the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the causes of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia, Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a campus of Louisiana State University and conducts basic, clinical and population research. The Center includes Basic Science, Clinical Research, and Population and Public Health, enabling both focused research and translational science. Research at Pennington Biomedical is supported broadly by multiple NIH Research Centers, and includes approximately 65 faculty and 20 postdoctoral fellows who comprise a network of 44 laboratories and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Pennington Biomedical is located within state-of-the-art research facilities on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
All Job Postings will close at 12: 01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated).
If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progress will be saved as a draft. You will be able to access and complete the application through “My Draft Applications” located on your Candidate Home page.
Job Posting Title:
Postdoctoral Researcher - Mitochondrial Energetics and Nutrient Utilization (MENU) Lab
Position Type:
Other Academic
Department:
LSUPBRC Clinic - MENU Lab (Jacob Mey (00053188))
Work Location:
LSU - Pennington Biomedical
Pay Grade:
Other Academic
Job Description:
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a world-renowned academic research institute of Louisiana State University, is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Mitochondrial Energetics and Nutrient Utilization (MENU) Laboratory.
The Postdoctoral Researcher will conduct advanced, independent, and collaborative research focused on clinical dietetics, precision nutrition and underlying biological mechanisms underlying the relationships between diet and health. This position is responsible for designing and executing innovative research studies, analyzing and interpreting complex experimental data, with particular focus on multi-omics platforms and bioinformatics, and disseminating findings through peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations. The Postdoctoral Researcher mentors students and research staff, collaborates with multidisciplinary investigators, and supports the laboratory's overall research mission while ensuring compliance with institutional, regulatory, and laboratory safety standards.
Major Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and conduct independent and collaborative research studies investigating the physiological mechanisms underlying diet-health and diet-disease relationships using advanced experimental approaches.
- Analyze high dimensional datasets utilizing modern bioinformatics techniques, especially pertaining to metabolic and nutrient utilization pathways.
- Plan, execute, troubleshoot, and optimize complex metabolic assessment techniques, including hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, oral glucose tolerance tests and mixed meal tolerance tests.
- Design and implement research studies involving analyzing large-scale datasets on diet and health e.g. NHANES and other specialized databases necessary to achieve research objectives.
- Plan, execute, troubleshoot, and optimize complex laboratory techniques, including mass spectrometry, molecular biology, protein analysis, histological and immunohistochemical methods, metabolic assays, and other specialized techniques necessary to achieve research objectives.
- Collect, process, and analyze biological specimens, including blood, breath, tissue, and cultured cells, ensuring sample integrity and adherence to established laboratory, biosafety, and quality assurance procedures.
- Analyze, interpret, and integrate complex experimental data using appropriate statistical methods and scientific software to generate meaningful conclusions and identify future research directions.
- Prepare manuscripts, abstracts, scientific reports, and presentations for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at local, national, and international scientific conferences.
- Contribute to the development of grant proposals, fellowship applications, progress reports, and other sponsored research activities by generating preliminary data, drafting scientific content, and assisting with research planning.
- Collaborate with principal investigators, faculty, clinicians, and multidisciplinary research teams to develop innovative research strategies, establish new methodologies, and advance the overall scientific goals of the laboratory and institution.
- Mentor graduate students, research associates, technicians, and other trainees by providing scientific guidance, technical instruction, and oversight of laboratory activities while fostering a collaborative research environment.
- Maintain accurate, comprehensive, and well-organized research records, ensuring compliance with institutional policies, funding agency requirements, laboratory safety regulations, and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), where applicable.
- Assist with laboratory management activities, including maintenance and calibration of research equipment, inventory management, protocol development, regulatory documentation, and implementation of quality control procedures to support efficient laboratory operations.
- Remain current with emerging scientific literature, technological advances, and best practices nutrition, metabolism, and related disciplines by participating in laboratory meetings, seminars, journal clubs, professional development activities, and scientific conferences.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- PhD in nutrition, physiology, or closely related biomedical discipline.
- Two (2) years of experience conducting independent laboratory research in nutrition, metabolism, or related biomedical discipline, which can include internships, academic research, or work in a clinical or research lab setting.
- Proficiency in a variety of molecular, cellular, biochemical, and physiological laboratory techniques, with the ability to develop, optimize, and troubleshoot experimental protocols.
- Experience analyzing and interpreting complex scientific data using appropriate statistical methods and scientific software, with a focus on bioinformatics.
- Record of scholarly achievement, including peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations commensurate with career stage.
- Knowledge of experimental design, research methodology, and scientific principles applicable to translational or basic biomedical research.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a multidisciplinary research team.
- Strong scientific writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to prepare manuscripts, reports, and grant-related materials.
- Experience in mentoring or training students, research staff, or laboratory personnel is preferred.
- Commitment to maintaining compliance with laboratory safety procedures, institutional policies, and applicable regulatory and funding agency requirements.
Preferred Experience
- Clinical dietetics, human nutrition and metabolism, and bioinformatics related to plasma metabolomics and multi-omics platforms.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center seeks to recruit a highly productive workforce with a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives and will provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and prospective employees. Employment decisions shall be based strictly on merit and without regard to religious or political beliefs, sex, race, or any other non-merit factor.
Additional Job Description:
Competencies:
None
Special Instructions:
Interested candidates should include a curriculum vitae and a statement of research interests (one or two pages). Official transcripts are required prior to hire and are not required at the time of application.
Posting Date:
September 17, 2026
Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified):
October 1, 2026
Additional Position Information:
Pennington Biomedical is located within state-of-the-art research facilities on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more information, visit PBRC.
Questions regarding career opportunities at Pennington Biomedical should be sent to hrm@pbrc.edu.
Background Check - An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.
Benefits - Pennington Biomedical Research Center offers outstanding benefits to eligible employees and their dependents including health, life, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement options; various leave options; paid holidays; wellness benefits; tuition exemption for qualified positions; training and development opportunities; employee discounts; and more!
Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University’s partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services including but not limited to employment, benefits, payroll, and tax compliance. Positions employed through Employer of Record Services will be offered benefits and retirement as applicable through their provider and will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement.
Essential Position (Y/N):
Pennington Biomedical Research Center/LSU is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Contact Information:
Questions or concerns can be directed to PBRC Human Resources at 225-763-2776 or hrm@pbrc.edu.
About us:
At the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the causes of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia, Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a campus of Louisiana State University and conducts basic, clinical and population research. The Center includes Basic Science, Clinical Research, and Population and Public Health, enabling both focused research and translational science. Research at Pennington Biomedical is supported broadly by multiple NIH Research Centers, and includes approximately 65 faculty and 20 postdoctoral fellows who comprise a network of 44 laboratories and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Pennington Biomedical is located within state-of-the-art research facilities on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
All Job Postings will close at 12: 01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated).
If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progress will be saved as a draft. You will be able to access and complete the application through “My Draft Applications” located on your Candidate Home page.
Job Posting Title:
Postdoctoral Researcher - Mitochondrial Energetics and Nutrient Utilization (MENU) Lab
Position Type:
Other Academic
Department:
LSUPBRC Clinic - MENU Lab (Jacob Mey (00053188))
Work Location:
LSU - Pennington Biomedical
Pay Grade:
Other Academic
Job Description:
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a world-renowned academic research institute of Louisiana State University, is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Mitochondrial Energetics and Nutrient Utilization (MENU) Laboratory.
The Postdoctoral Researcher will conduct advanced, independent, and collaborative research focused on clinical dietetics, precision nutrition and underlying biological mechanisms underlying the relationships between diet and health. This position is responsible for designing and executing innovative research studies, analyzing and interpreting complex experimental data, with particular focus on multi-omics platforms and bioinformatics, and disseminating findings through peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations. The Postdoctoral Researcher mentors students and research staff, collaborates with multidisciplinary investigators, and supports the laboratory's overall research mission while ensuring compliance with institutional, regulatory, and laboratory safety standards.
Major Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and conduct independent and collaborative research studies investigating the physiological mechanisms underlying diet-health and diet-disease relationships using advanced experimental approaches.
- Analyze high dimensional datasets utilizing modern bioinformatics techniques, especially pertaining to metabolic and nutrient utilization pathways.
- Plan, execute, troubleshoot, and optimize complex metabolic assessment techniques, including hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, oral glucose tolerance tests and mixed meal tolerance tests.
- Design and implement research studies involving analyzing large-scale datasets on diet and health e.g. NHANES and other specialized databases necessary to achieve research objectives.
- Plan, execute, troubleshoot, and optimize complex laboratory techniques, including mass spectrometry, molecular biology, protein analysis, histological and immunohistochemical methods, metabolic assays, and other specialized techniques necessary to achieve research objectives.
- Collect, process, and analyze biological specimens, including blood, breath, tissue, and cultured cells, ensuring sample integrity and adherence to established laboratory, biosafety, and quality assurance procedures.
- Analyze, interpret, and integrate complex experimental data using appropriate statistical methods and scientific software to generate meaningful conclusions and identify future research directions.
- Prepare manuscripts, abstracts, scientific reports, and presentations for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at local, national, and international scientific conferences.
- Contribute to the development of grant proposals, fellowship applications, progress reports, and other sponsored research activities by generating preliminary data, drafting scientific content, and assisting with research planning.
- Collaborate with principal investigators, faculty, clinicians, and multidisciplinary research teams to develop innovative research strategies, establish new methodologies, and advance the overall scientific goals of the laboratory and institution.
- Mentor graduate students, research associates, technicians, and other trainees by providing scientific guidance, technical instruction, and oversight of laboratory activities while fostering a collaborative research environment.
- Maintain accurate, comprehensive, and well-organized research records, ensuring compliance with institutional policies, funding agency requirements, laboratory safety regulations, and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), where applicable.
- Assist with laboratory management activities, including maintenance and calibration of research equipment, inventory management, protocol development, regulatory documentation, and implementation of quality control procedures to support efficient laboratory operations.
- Remain current with emerging scientific literature, technological advances, and best practices nutrition, metabolism, and related disciplines by participating in laboratory meetings, seminars, journal clubs, professional development activities, and scientific conferences.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- PhD in nutrition, physiology, or closely related biomedical discipline.
- Two (2) years of experience conducting independent laboratory research in nutrition, metabolism, or related biomedical discipline, which can include internships, academic research, or work in a clinical or research lab setting.
- Proficiency in a variety of molecular, cellular, biochemical, and physiological laboratory techniques, with the ability to develop, optimize, and troubleshoot experimental protocols.
- Experience analyzing and interpreting complex scientific data using appropriate statistical methods and scientific software, with a focus on bioinformatics.
- Record of scholarly achievement, including peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations commensurate with career stage.
- Knowledge of experimental design, research methodology, and scientific principles applicable to translational or basic biomedical research.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a multidisciplinary research team.
- Strong scientific writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to prepare manuscripts, reports, and grant-related materials.
- Experience in mentoring or training students, research staff, or laboratory personnel is preferred.
- Commitment to maintaining compliance with laboratory safety procedures, institutional policies, and applicable regulatory and funding agency requirements.
Preferred Experience
- Clinical dietetics, human nutrition and metabolism, and bioinformatics related to plasma metabolomics and multi-omics platforms.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center seeks to recruit a highly productive workforce with a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives and will provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and prospective employees. Employment decisions shall be based strictly on merit and without regard to religious or political beliefs, sex, race, or any other non-merit factor.
Additional Job Description:
Competencies:
None
Special Instructions:
Interested candidates should include a curriculum vitae and a statement of research interests (one or two pages). Official transcripts are required prior to hire and are not required at the time of application.
Posting Date:
September 17, 2026
Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified):
October 1, 2026
Additional Position Information:
Pennington Biomedical is located within state-of-the-art research facilities on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more information, visit PBRC.
Questions regarding career opportunities at Pennington Biomedical should be sent to hrm@pbrc.edu.
Background Check - An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.
Benefits - Pennington Biomedical Research Center offers outstanding benefits to eligible employees and their dependents including health, life, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement options; various leave options; paid holidays; wellness benefits; tuition exemption for qualified positions; training and development opportunities; employee discounts; and more!
Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University’s partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services including but not limited to employment, benefits, payroll, and tax compliance. Positions employed through Employer of Record Services will be offered benefits and retirement as applicable through their provider and will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement.
Essential Position (Y/N):
Pennington Biomedical Research Center/LSU is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Contact Information:
Questions or concerns can be directed to PBRC Human Resources at 225-763-2776 or hrm@pbrc.edu.
See all 908+ J-1 Visa Research Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new J-1 Visa Research Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship in Research
Verify your research qualifications match J-1 criteria
Research Scholar status requires a postgraduate degree and a recognized research or teaching role. Confirm your CV clearly documents degree level, publications, and prior institutional affiliations before approaching any host institution or designated sponsor.
Target host institutions with existing designated sponsors
Universities, federal research labs, and NIH-affiliated institutes typically hold active agreements with State Department-designated sponsors already. Applying to these hosts avoids delays caused by institutions that must first establish a sponsorship relationship from scratch.
Find J-1 research roles on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to search U.S. employers and research institutions whose open positions align with J-1 program eligibility, filtering by role type so you target hosts that already accommodate exchange visitor placements.
Clarify the two-year home residency requirement early
Some research fields funded by a foreign government or involving skills on the Exchange Visitor Skills List trigger the J-1 two-year home residency requirement. Identify whether your situation qualifies for a waiver before accepting an offer, since this affects future H-1B visa or green card eligibility.
Align your program dates with the DS-2019 timeline
Your designated sponsor issues the DS-2019 only after the host institution submits a completed training or program plan. Build at least six to eight weeks between your accepted offer and your intended start date to allow for DS-2019 processing and consular appointment scheduling.
Document funding sources in your program plan accurately
Designated sponsors and consular officers scrutinize whether research funding comes from U.S. government grants, foreign governments, or private sources. Misclassifying funding on the DS-2019 application or training plan can trigger additional review or denial.
Research J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits a research position?
Research positions most commonly fall under the Research Scholar category, which covers postdoctoral researchers, scientists, and academics conducting research at U.S. universities and research institutes. If your stay is under six months and involves observation or consultation rather than a sustained research project, the Short-Term Scholar category may apply instead. Your designated sponsor confirms the correct category based on your role description and qualifications.
Who actually sponsors a J-1 visa for a research role?
The J-1 visa sponsor is a State Department-designated organization, such as a university international office, IIE, or a research consortium, not the employer hosting your research. Your host institution arranges the placement and signs your program plan, but the designated sponsor issues the DS-2019 form, monitors your program compliance, and serves as your official point of contact with the State Department throughout your exchange.
How do I find U.S. research employers that work with J-1 exchange programs?
Migrate Mate lets you search U.S. employers and institutions by role type, making it easier to identify research positions at hosts already familiar with J-1 exchange visitor placements. Targeting institutions with established international office infrastructure, including major research universities and federal laboratory systems, reduces the risk of delays from hosts navigating sponsorship requirements for the first time.
Does the two-year home residency requirement affect research scholars?
It can. Researchers whose positions are funded by their home government, whose nationality appears on the Exchange Visitor Skills List, or whose program is financed by a U.S. government agency may be subject to the two-year home residency requirement under INA Section 212(e). This bar prevents you from changing to H-1B or most immigrant visa categories until you return home for two years or obtain a waiver. Clarify your funding source with your designated sponsor before accepting any offer.
Can I work outside my host institution on a J-1 Research Scholar visa?
Your J-1 research authorization is tied to the specific host institution and program listed on your DS-2019. Taking on paid consulting, secondary employment, or research work at a different institution generally requires prior written authorization from your designated sponsor. Unauthorized employment is a program violation and can result in termination of your J-1 status, so confirm any outside engagement with your sponsor before proceeding.