OPT Physics Jobs
Physics OPT jobs span research, data analysis, engineering, and instrumentation roles across academia, national labs, and private industry. Your OPT period gives you up to 12 months of work authorization, with a 24-month STEM extension available for qualifying physics and related degree programs. Employers range from university research groups to defense contractors and semiconductor firms.
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Get Access To All JobsTitle: Assistant Professor of Physics
Posting Number: F00309JP
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Position Summary
Bowdoin College’s Department of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for a full-time tenure-track faculty appointment in Physics at the Assistant Professor level, beginning July 1, 2027. We seek an experimental condensed-matter physicist who can actively involve undergraduate students in their research program. The teaching load is four courses a year. A Ph.D. in Physics is expected by the date of the appointment.
Bowdoin College offers opportunities for professional development, a fully-funded, year-long pre-tenure sabbatical leave (after three years of teaching and successful reappointment), and regular, generously funded, post-tenure sabbaticals. Support for teaching, grant submission, artificial intelligence initiatives, computing software, and community partnerships in courses is available. The College also offers robust programming and resources for establishing and enhancing mentoring networks.
At Bowdoin, we are committed to inclusive excellence, an ongoing collective practice that honors our institutional commitment to provide an outstanding liberal arts education and serve the common good. The College is home to talented students, faculty and staff and we encourage applications from candidates committed to the inclusive instruction and support of a diverse student population, and those who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity.
Accessibility during the application and interview stages, as well as once employed, is a priority of the College: https://www.bowdoin.edu/accessibility/index.html. In addition, visa sponsorships for faculty hires are available.
Bowdoin College accepts only electronic submissions. Please submit:
1) a cover letter;
2) a curriculum vitae;
3) a description of your plans for research;
4) a statement that describes your teaching philosophy and practice; and
5) the names and contact information for three references who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation. Letter writers will be automatically contacted upon submission of your application.
Review of applications will begin October 1st and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated hiring range for this appointment at the assistant professor rank without prior tenure-track experience is $92,000 – $98,000 annually; the salary offered will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience and with internal peer equity. All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a satisfactory background check.
Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin’s reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine. Bowdoin’s campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston. Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses. For further information about the College and our department, please visit our website: http://www.bowdoin.edu.
Posting Date: 07/28/2026
Applications Accepted Until: Open Until Filled
Special Instructions to Applicants
At the time of application, you will be required to include information for three references, including name, title, email address, phone number and how you know the reference.
Reference providers will receive an automatically-generated email from the application system. The email will provide them a link to upload a confidential reference letter on your behalf.
You will not be able to view the reference letters but will be able to see how many have been submitted on your behalf.
Employment Category: Full Time Year Round
Job Start Date: 07/01/2027
Job Type: Faculty
Background Check Package Requirements: Faculty/Administrative
Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- Resume / Curriculum Vitae
- Cover Letter
- Statement of Research Interests/Research Plans
- Teaching Philosophy/Principles
Optional Documents
Title: Assistant Professor of Physics
Posting Number: F00309JP
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Position Summary
Bowdoin College’s Department of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for a full-time tenure-track faculty appointment in Physics at the Assistant Professor level, beginning July 1, 2027. We seek an experimental condensed-matter physicist who can actively involve undergraduate students in their research program. The teaching load is four courses a year. A Ph.D. in Physics is expected by the date of the appointment.
Bowdoin College offers opportunities for professional development, a fully-funded, year-long pre-tenure sabbatical leave (after three years of teaching and successful reappointment), and regular, generously funded, post-tenure sabbaticals. Support for teaching, grant submission, artificial intelligence initiatives, computing software, and community partnerships in courses is available. The College also offers robust programming and resources for establishing and enhancing mentoring networks.
At Bowdoin, we are committed to inclusive excellence, an ongoing collective practice that honors our institutional commitment to provide an outstanding liberal arts education and serve the common good. The College is home to talented students, faculty and staff and we encourage applications from candidates committed to the inclusive instruction and support of a diverse student population, and those who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity.
Accessibility during the application and interview stages, as well as once employed, is a priority of the College: https://www.bowdoin.edu/accessibility/index.html. In addition, visa sponsorships for faculty hires are available.
Bowdoin College accepts only electronic submissions. Please submit:
1) a cover letter;
2) a curriculum vitae;
3) a description of your plans for research;
4) a statement that describes your teaching philosophy and practice; and
5) the names and contact information for three references who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation. Letter writers will be automatically contacted upon submission of your application.
Review of applications will begin October 1st and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated hiring range for this appointment at the assistant professor rank without prior tenure-track experience is $92,000 – $98,000 annually; the salary offered will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience and with internal peer equity. All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a satisfactory background check.
Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin’s reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine. Bowdoin’s campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston. Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses. For further information about the College and our department, please visit our website: http://www.bowdoin.edu.
Posting Date: 07/28/2026
Applications Accepted Until: Open Until Filled
Special Instructions to Applicants
At the time of application, you will be required to include information for three references, including name, title, email address, phone number and how you know the reference.
Reference providers will receive an automatically-generated email from the application system. The email will provide them a link to upload a confidential reference letter on your behalf.
You will not be able to view the reference letters but will be able to see how many have been submitted on your behalf.
Employment Category: Full Time Year Round
Job Start Date: 07/01/2027
Job Type: Faculty
Background Check Package Requirements: Faculty/Administrative
Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- Resume / Curriculum Vitae
- Cover Letter
- Statement of Research Interests/Research Plans
- Teaching Philosophy/Principles
Optional Documents
See all 78+ OPT Physics Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Physics Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in Physics
Target STEM OPT-eligible employers first
Physics degrees typically qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, but only with E-Verify employers. Prioritize companies enrolled in E-Verify from the start so your extension eligibility is never in question.
Highlight quantitative and computational skills
Employers hiring physics graduates often care more about your Python, MATLAB, or data modeling experience than your thesis topic. Lead with technical skills in your resume to connect your background to the role.
Look beyond academia for sponsorship pathways
National laboratories, semiconductor companies, and defense contractors regularly hire physics graduates and have established H-1B visa sponsorship pipelines. These employers often have dedicated immigration support teams for international hires.
Clarify your OPT timeline upfront
Tell employers your OPT start date, expiration date, and STEM extension eligibility early in the process. Employers unfamiliar with OPT benefit from knowing you have up to three years of work authorization available.
Connect your research to applied industry problems
Hiring managers outside academia rarely know what your thesis means in practice. Translate your research into outcomes: reduced error rates, improved detection accuracy, faster processing. Concrete results resonate far more than technical jargon.
Apply to roles with specialty occupation alignment
For future H-1B sponsorship, your physics role needs to qualify as a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor's degree in a specific field. Applied research, instrumentation, and data science roles tied directly to physics align well.
Physics OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do physics degrees qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes. Physics is on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List, which means graduates are eligible for a 24-month STEM OPT extension beyond the standard 12-month period. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you must apply for the extension before your initial OPT expires. That gives you up to 36 months of total work authorization.
What types of employers hire physics OPT students?
Physics graduates work across a wide range of sectors. National laboratories like Argonne, Brookhaven, and the national labs under DOE regularly hire OPT students for research roles. Private sector employers in semiconductors, defense, medical devices, and data science also recruit physics graduates. Migrate Mate filters OPT-friendly listings so you can find employers who actively sponsor international students.
Can I work at a university or research institution on OPT?
Yes, academic and research institution roles are fully compatible with OPT work authorization. However, confirm that any unpaid or stipend-based position meets your OPT employment requirements. USCIS requires that OPT employment be directly related to your degree and, for paid roles, that compensation is consistent with similarly situated U.S. workers in the same field.
Does a physics job qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B sponsorship?
Most physics roles do qualify, particularly those in applied research, instrumentation development, computational modeling, and materials science, where a bachelor's degree in physics or a closely related field is a standard requirement. General roles where any science degree would suffice are harder to support. The stronger the connection between the job duties and your specific physics training, the cleaner the specialty occupation argument.
Can I work part-time on OPT as a physics researcher or lab technician?
Yes, part-time OPT employment is permitted during the standard OPT period, defined as fewer than 20 hours per week. During the STEM OPT extension, however, you must work at least 20 hours per week to remain in valid status. If you hold multiple concurrent part-time positions, the combined hours must still meet that threshold during the extension period.