OPT Applied Scientist Jobs
Applied Scientist roles on OPT sit squarely within specialty occupation territory, which makes them strong candidates for H-1B visa sponsorship down the line. Most positions require a master's or PhD in computer science, statistics, or a related field. STEM OPT gives you up to three years of authorized work, enough runway to move through the sponsorship process.
See All OPT Applied Scientist JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 148+ Applied Scientist jobs
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
See all 148+ Applied Scientist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Applied Scientist roles.
Get Access To All JobsDESCRIPTION
Applied Scientists in AWS Automated Reasoning are dedicated to making AWS the best computing service in the world for customers who require advanced and rigorous solutions for automated reasoning, privacy, and sovereignty.
Key job responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Solve large or significantly complex problems that require deep knowledge and understanding of your domain and scientific innovation.
- Own strategic problem solving, and take the lead on the design, implementation, and delivery for solutions that have a long-term quantifiable impact.
- Provide cross-organizational technical influence, increasing productivity and effectiveness by sharing your deep knowledge and experience.
- Develop strategic plans to identify fundamentally new solutions for business problems.
- Assist in the career development of others, actively mentoring individuals and the community on advanced technical issues.
A day in the life
This is a unique and rare opportunity to get in early on a fast-growing segment of AWS and help shape the technology, product and the business. You will have a chance to utilize your deep technical experience within a fast moving, start-up environment and make a large business and customer impact.
About the team
Diverse Experiences Amazon Automated Reasoning values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn't followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don't let it stop you from applying.
Why Amazon Automated Reasoning?
At Amazon, automated reasoning is central to maintaining customer trust and delivering delightful customer experiences. Our organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a high bar for automated reasoning across all of Amazon's products and services. We offer talented automated reasoning professionals the chance to accelerate their careers with opportunities to build experience in a wide variety of areas including cloud, devices, retail, entertainment, healthcare, operations, and physical stores.
Inclusive Team Culture
In Amazon Automated Reasoning, it's in our nature to learn and be curious. Ongoing DEI events and learning experiences inspire us to continue learning and to embrace our uniqueness. Addressing the toughest automated reasoning challenges requires that we seek out and celebrate a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and voices.
Training & Career Growth
We're continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth's Best Employer. That's why you'll find endless knowledge-sharing, training, and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why flexible work hours and arrangements are part of our culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there's nothing we can't achieve.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in computer science, computer engineering, or related field
- 4+ years of applied research experience
- Experience in any of the following areas: SAT, SMT, mechanical theorem proving, symbolic simulation, programming language type systems, program analysis.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience programming in O'Caml, Dafny, Haskell, Kotlin, Lean, Rust, Scala or related language
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: $142,800.00 - $193,200.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
Applied Scientists in AWS Automated Reasoning are dedicated to making AWS the best computing service in the world for customers who require advanced and rigorous solutions for automated reasoning, privacy, and sovereignty.
Key job responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Solve large or significantly complex problems that require deep knowledge and understanding of your domain and scientific innovation.
- Own strategic problem solving, and take the lead on the design, implementation, and delivery for solutions that have a long-term quantifiable impact.
- Provide cross-organizational technical influence, increasing productivity and effectiveness by sharing your deep knowledge and experience.
- Develop strategic plans to identify fundamentally new solutions for business problems.
- Assist in the career development of others, actively mentoring individuals and the community on advanced technical issues.
A day in the life
This is a unique and rare opportunity to get in early on a fast-growing segment of AWS and help shape the technology, product and the business. You will have a chance to utilize your deep technical experience within a fast moving, start-up environment and make a large business and customer impact.
About the team
Diverse Experiences Amazon Automated Reasoning values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn't followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don't let it stop you from applying.
Why Amazon Automated Reasoning?
At Amazon, automated reasoning is central to maintaining customer trust and delivering delightful customer experiences. Our organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a high bar for automated reasoning across all of Amazon's products and services. We offer talented automated reasoning professionals the chance to accelerate their careers with opportunities to build experience in a wide variety of areas including cloud, devices, retail, entertainment, healthcare, operations, and physical stores.
Inclusive Team Culture
In Amazon Automated Reasoning, it's in our nature to learn and be curious. Ongoing DEI events and learning experiences inspire us to continue learning and to embrace our uniqueness. Addressing the toughest automated reasoning challenges requires that we seek out and celebrate a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and voices.
Training & Career Growth
We're continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth's Best Employer. That's why you'll find endless knowledge-sharing, training, and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why flexible work hours and arrangements are part of our culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there's nothing we can't achieve.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in computer science, computer engineering, or related field
- 4+ years of applied research experience
- Experience in any of the following areas: SAT, SMT, mechanical theorem proving, symbolic simulation, programming language type systems, program analysis.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience programming in O'Caml, Dafny, Haskell, Kotlin, Lean, Rust, Scala or related language
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: $142,800.00 - $193,200.00 USD annually
See all 148+ OPT Applied Scientist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Applied Scientist Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as an Applied Scientist
Target companies with active H-1B filing histories
Employers who regularly sponsor Applied Scientists will have a track record of H-1B visa filings. Prioritize companies with dedicated research divisions, such as large tech firms and AI labs, where sponsorship is standard practice rather than an exception.
Lead with your research output, not just your degree
Published papers, patents, and conference presentations signal the kind of specialized expertise that justifies sponsorship. Employers evaluating OPT candidates for Applied Scientist roles weigh research credentials heavily when making the case to their legal team.
Confirm your STEM OPT eligibility before applying
Applied Scientist roles almost always qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, but your degree field must appear on the STEM Designated Degree Program list. Verify this with your DSO before your initial 12-month OPT period ends.
Bring up OPT early in the interview process
Waiting until an offer to mention your work authorization status creates friction. Raise it in the recruiter screen so only genuinely sponsor-willing employers move forward. It saves both sides time and builds trust from the start.
Frame your OPT timeline as a planning asset
Three years of STEM OPT authorization covers two H-1B lottery cycles. Presenting this clearly to hiring managers shows you understand the process and gives cautious employers confidence that there is enough time to get sponsorship right.
Connect with Applied Scientists at the company before applying
Reach out to researchers already in the role you want. They can tell you whether sponsorship is handled internally or through outside counsel, how long the process typically takes at that company, and what the team actually values in candidates.
Applied Scientist OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as an Applied Scientist on OPT without employer sponsorship?
Yes. During your OPT authorization period, you can work as an Applied Scientist without any employer petition or sponsorship filing. Your employer does need to report the job to your DSO for STEM OPT compliance, but there is no separate visa petition required. Sponsorship only becomes necessary when your OPT period ends and you need a different work visa to stay authorized.
Do Applied Scientist roles qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Applied Scientist positions almost universally qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension because the role draws directly on STEM degree fields such as computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, and electrical engineering. Your degree must appear on the STEM Designated Degree Program list and the job must be directly related to that field of study. Your DSO can confirm eligibility before you apply for the extension.
How do I find Applied Scientist jobs where employers are open to OPT sponsorship?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for this. The platform surfaces Applied Scientist roles from employers who have a demonstrated history of sponsoring international workers, so you are not wasting applications on companies that will decline once they learn your status. Browsing by role and authorization type there is the most efficient way to identify genuinely sponsor-willing employers in research and tech.
Does a master's degree qualify me for Applied Scientist roles on OPT, or do most employers require a PhD?
Requirements vary by company and team. Large tech companies and AI labs regularly hire Applied Scientists with strong master's degrees, particularly when candidates have published research, internship experience, or a compelling project portfolio. Roles focused on applied product work tend to be more accessible with a master's, while positions in core research or fundamental modeling often prefer a PhD. Read job descriptions carefully and prioritize applying to roles that list a master's as sufficient.
What should I know about the 60-day grace period if my Applied Scientist job ends while I am on OPT?
When employment ends during your OPT period, you enter a 60-day grace period during which you are not authorized to work but remain in valid F-1 status. You can use this window to find a new Applied Scientist role and start work once authorized. If you cannot secure a new position within 60 days, you would need to change status, transfer to a new school, or depart the United States.