OPT Machine Learning Scientist Jobs
Machine Learning Scientist roles are among the most actively sponsored positions for F-1 OPT students, with STEM OPT extensions available for up to three years. Most employers require a master's or PhD in computer science, statistics, or a related field, and STEM designation makes these roles strong candidates for H-1B visa sponsorship.
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Do you want to join an innovative team of scientists who develop Agentic AI, LLM, and deep learning based solutions to help Amazon provide the best seller experience across the entire Seller life cycle, including recruitment, growth, support, risk mitigation and provide the best customer and seller experience?
Do you want to build advanced algorithmic systems that help manage the trust and safety of millions of customer interactions every day? Are you excited by the prospect of analyzing and modeling terabytes of data and creating state-of-the-art algorithms to solve real world problems? Are you excited by the opportunity to leverage GenAI and innovate on top of the state-of-the-art large language models to improve customer and seller experience?
Do you like to build end-to-end business solutions and directly impact the profitability of the company? Do you like to innovate and create solutions that have cross-organizational impacts?
If yes, then you may be a great fit to join the Machine Learning Accelerator team.
Key job responsibilities
The scope of an Applied Scientist in the Machine Learning Accelerator (MLA) team is to research and prototype AI and Machine Learning applications that solve strategic business problems across Selling Partner Experience (SPX) domains. Additionally, the scientist collaborates with engineers and business partners to design and implement solutions at scale that are of broad benefit to SPX organizations. They develop large-scale solutions for high impact projects, introduce tools and other techniques that can be used to solve problems from various perspectives, and show depth and competence in more than one area. They influence the team’s technical strategy by making insightful contributions to the team’s priorities, approach and planning. They develop and introduce tools and practices that streamline the work of the team, and they mentor junior team members and participate in hiring.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of CS, CE, ML or related field experience
- 3+ years of building machine learning models or developing algorithms for business application experience
- Experience in patents or publications at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals
- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
- Experience in any of the following areas: algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing
- Experience with Machine Learning and Large Language Model fundamentals, including architecture, training/inference lifecycles, and optimization of model execution, or experience in developing and deploying LLMs in production on GPUs, Neuron, TPU or other AI acceleration hardware
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience using Unix/Linux
- Experience in state-of-the-art deep learning models architecture design and deep learning training and optimization and model pruning
- Experience with LLM fine-tuning, in-context learning, or model evaluation
- Hands-on experience designing reward models or RL post-training pipelines (PPO/GRPO, DPO) for LLMs or agents, including preference-data collection and evaluation
- Experience building agentic AI systems — tool use, planning, retrieval-augmented generation, or multi-agent workflows
- Experience with researching and developing neuro-symbolic solutions and applications
- Publications at top ML/AI venues
- Experience partnering with product/engineering teams to deliver ML in large-scale production system
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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, CA, San Diego
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: $142,800.00 - $193,200.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
Do you want to join an innovative team of scientists who develop Agentic AI, LLM, and deep learning based solutions to help Amazon provide the best seller experience across the entire Seller life cycle, including recruitment, growth, support, risk mitigation and provide the best customer and seller experience?
Do you want to build advanced algorithmic systems that help manage the trust and safety of millions of customer interactions every day? Are you excited by the prospect of analyzing and modeling terabytes of data and creating state-of-the-art algorithms to solve real world problems? Are you excited by the opportunity to leverage GenAI and innovate on top of the state-of-the-art large language models to improve customer and seller experience?
Do you like to build end-to-end business solutions and directly impact the profitability of the company? Do you like to innovate and create solutions that have cross-organizational impacts?
If yes, then you may be a great fit to join the Machine Learning Accelerator team.
Key job responsibilities
The scope of an Applied Scientist in the Machine Learning Accelerator (MLA) team is to research and prototype AI and Machine Learning applications that solve strategic business problems across Selling Partner Experience (SPX) domains. Additionally, the scientist collaborates with engineers and business partners to design and implement solutions at scale that are of broad benefit to SPX organizations. They develop large-scale solutions for high impact projects, introduce tools and other techniques that can be used to solve problems from various perspectives, and show depth and competence in more than one area. They influence the team’s technical strategy by making insightful contributions to the team’s priorities, approach and planning. They develop and introduce tools and practices that streamline the work of the team, and they mentor junior team members and participate in hiring.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of CS, CE, ML or related field experience
- 3+ years of building machine learning models or developing algorithms for business application experience
- Experience in patents or publications at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals
- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
- Experience in any of the following areas: algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing
- Experience with Machine Learning and Large Language Model fundamentals, including architecture, training/inference lifecycles, and optimization of model execution, or experience in developing and deploying LLMs in production on GPUs, Neuron, TPU or other AI acceleration hardware
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience using Unix/Linux
- Experience in state-of-the-art deep learning models architecture design and deep learning training and optimization and model pruning
- Experience with LLM fine-tuning, in-context learning, or model evaluation
- Hands-on experience designing reward models or RL post-training pipelines (PPO/GRPO, DPO) for LLMs or agents, including preference-data collection and evaluation
- Experience building agentic AI systems — tool use, planning, retrieval-augmented generation, or multi-agent workflows
- Experience with researching and developing neuro-symbolic solutions and applications
- Publications at top ML/AI venues
- Experience partnering with product/engineering teams to deliver ML in large-scale production system
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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, CA, San Diego
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: $142,800.00 - $193,200.00 USD annually
See all 689+ OPT Machine Learning Scientist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Machine Learning Scientist Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Machine Learning Scientist
Target research-driven employers
Companies with dedicated AI research divisions, such as large tech firms and well-funded startups, file H-1B visa petitions at far higher rates than generalist employers. Search Migrate Mate to find Machine Learning Scientist roles at employers with verified sponsorship history.
Emphasize your STEM OPT timeline
Your STEM OPT extension gives you up to 36 months of work authorization. Framing this clearly in applications reassures employers that you have enough runway to complete the H-1B sponsorship process without disruption to your employment.
Lead with published research and benchmarks
Hiring managers for Machine Learning Scientist roles respond to concrete outcomes: papers published, benchmark improvements, and model performance gains. Quantified contributions signal genuine research depth and reduce perceived risk around visa sponsorship investment.
Prioritize roles requiring a master's or PhD
Positions that explicitly require an advanced degree in a specific technical field are stronger specialty occupation cases for H-1B purposes. Targeting these roles from the start makes the eventual sponsorship pathway more straightforward for both you and your employer.
Prepare your employer for the sponsorship conversation
Many hiring managers are unfamiliar with STEM OPT details. Coming prepared with a clear one-page summary of your authorization timeline, extension eligibility, and H-1B lottery timing removes friction and helps the employer make a faster, more confident decision.
Build relationships within research and ML communities
Referrals dramatically increase your chances at sponsoring employers. Contributing to open-source projects, presenting at workshops, or collaborating on preprints creates professional visibility that often leads to introductions before a role is ever posted publicly.
Machine Learning Scientist OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Machine Learning Scientist on F-1 OPT?
Yes. Machine Learning Scientist is a STEM-designated role, so F-1 students who graduate from a qualifying program in computer science, statistics, or a related field are eligible for both standard 12-month OPT and the 24-month STEM OPT extension, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization total. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify to support the STEM extension.
Do Machine Learning Scientist employers commonly sponsor visas?
Sponsorship rates are higher for this role than for most. Machine Learning Scientists are classified as specialty occupation workers under the H-1B, and demand for qualified candidates consistently outpaces supply. Research-intensive employers at large tech companies, AI labs, and well-funded startups sponsor at high rates. Browse verified sponsoring employers on Migrate Mate to narrow your search to companies with a demonstrated track record.
Does my degree field affect OPT eligibility for this role?
It does, particularly for the STEM OPT extension. Your degree must be from STEM-designated CIP code programs, such as computer science, applied mathematics, statistics, or electrical engineering. A degree in a non-STEM field can still support standard 12-month OPT, but the extension requires the STEM designation. The connection between your degree field and the Machine Learning Scientist role also matters for H-1B specialty occupation classification later.
What is the 24-month STEM OPT extension and how does it apply here?
The STEM OPT extension adds 24 months to your standard 12-month OPT period, for a total of 36 months. To qualify, your degree must be in a STEM field, your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you must submit a formal training plan using Form I-983. For Machine Learning Scientists, most roles at qualifying employers meet these requirements. You must apply before your current OPT expires.
What should I expect from the H-1B transition process after OPT?
Most Machine Learning Scientists transition from OPT to H-1B sponsorship. Your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf, subject to the annual lottery held each April for an October 1 start date. With 36 months of STEM OPT, you have enough runway to enter the lottery up to three times if needed. Your role's advanced degree requirement strengthens the specialty occupation argument, which is one of the more scrutinized parts of the petition.