OPT Research Assistant Professor Jobs
Research Assistant Professor roles are among the strongest fits for F-1 OPT students with advanced degrees, since most universities already sponsor H-1B visa and O-1 visas. STEM OPT extension applies if your degree is in a qualifying field, giving you up to three years of work authorization to establish yourself in academic research.
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Get Access To All JobsThe Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIE) at the University of Maine (UMaine) invites applications for a non-tenure-track Assistant Research Professor position. This is a unique research and teaching position with an initial two-year, fixed-length, academic-year appointment, anticipated to start January 1, 2027. The successful candidate will play a central role in the Accelerated Soil Stabilization (AS2) project, with a primary focus on the application of accelerated mineral carbonation to soil stabilization, while also contributing to undergraduate and graduate instruction in geotechnical engineering. Typical hiring salary for this position is $80,000 - $90,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience.
In consultation with the Principal Investigator, the successful candidate will lead research activities associated with the AS2 project and supervise and coordinate the research activities of graduate and undergraduate students. The candidate will develop, evaluate, and document laboratory- and field-scale testing, demonstration, and implementation methodologies; analyze and interpret research data; and prepare scholarly and technical products, including peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, conference presentations, and presentation materials for project sponsors and other stakeholders. The position may include field testing and demonstrations at federal, military, or other secured facilities that require site-specific background screening, credentialing, and access authorization.
The successful candidate will teach two courses per academic year, normally consisting of one undergraduate course and one graduate course in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Teaching assignments will be based on departmental needs and the candidate’s expertise, with an emphasis on geotechnical engineering. The candidate will also be encouraged to develop complementary research initiatives, pursue external funding, and mentor graduate and undergraduate students. UMaine is the state’s primary graduate-degree-granting institution and Maine’s designated Land Grant and Sea Grant university, with an R1 Carnegie Classification. Numerous colleges, interdisciplinary research centers, and institutes provide strong opportunities for collaborative research. These include the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (formerly Region I University Transportation Center), the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), the Climate Change Institute, the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, the Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Laboratory, and Advanced Research Computing, Security, and Information Management (ARCSIM), which offers extensive high-performance computing and data resources.
Information about the CIE Department can be found at www.civil.umaine.edu. The successful candidate will join a dynamic engineering program dedicated to high-quality teaching, scholarship, and service – where faculty support work-life integration.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is part of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC), which is a statewide, integrated solution to bring together the natural synergies of all engineering disciplines with computing and provide the technical workforce and innovations that are critical to moving our economy forward. MCEC includes the College of Engineering and School of Computing and Information Science at UMaine, the Department of Engineering at the University of Southern Maine (USM), with other collaborators to include the Department of Computer Science at USM and computing programs at University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) and other campuses within the University of Maine System.
About the University:
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the state. UMaine is a land, sea and space grant university, and maintains a leadership role as the University of Maine System's flagship institution. UMaine is the state's public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, dedicated to providing excellent teaching, research and service for Maine, the nation and the world. More information about UMaine is at umaine.edu.
The University of Maine offers a wide range of benefits for employees including, but not limited to, tuition benefits (employee and dependent), comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short and long term disability as well as retirement plan options.
UMaine is located in beautiful Central Maine. Many employees report that a primary reason for choosing to come to UMaine is quality of life. Numerous cultural activities, excellent public schools, safe neighborhoods, high quality medical care, little traffic, and a reasonable cost of living make the greater Bangor area a wonderful place to live. Visit the Maine Office of Tourism to learn more about what the Bangor region has to offer.
Qualifications:
Required:
- Ph.D. in Civil Engineering or a closely related field by the position start date.
- Demonstrated research experience relevant to geotechnical engineering, soil stabilization, geomaterials, mineral carbonation, cementitious materials, or related chemical and physical processes.
- Evidence of the ability to conduct and communicate high-quality research, including through peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or conference presentations.
- Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, students, project sponsors, and external partners.
- Effective written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to obtain and maintain authorization to access federal government, military, and other secured research and demonstration sites, as required for the performance of assigned duties.
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
- Research experience involving ground improvement, chemical stabilization, mineral carbonation, soil-binder interactions, geomaterials, or laboratory and field testing of stabilized soils.
- Experience developing or conducting laboratory-scale, pilot-scale, or field-scale research.
- Experience supervising or mentoring undergraduate or graduate researchers.
- Teaching experience or demonstrated potential to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in geotechnical engineering.
- Experience preparing research proposals or contributing to externally funded research.
- Record of peer-reviewed scholarly publication.
Other Information:
To be considered for this position you will need to “Apply” and upload the documentation listed below:
1.) a cover letter which describes your experience, interests, and suitability for the position
2.) a resume/curriculum vitae
Candidates selected to proceed to the final stages of the search process will be requested to provide a list of names and contact information for references.
Incomplete application materials cannot be considered. Materials received after the initial review date will be reviewed at the discretion of the University.
For full consideration, materials must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. EST on September 11, 2026.
For questions about the search, please contact search committee chair Aaron Gallant at aaron.gallant@maine.edu.
The successful applicant is subject to appropriate background screening.
The University of Maine System (the System) is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. Consistent with State and Federal law, the System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, pregnancy, or veteran or military status in any aspect of its education, programs and activities, and employment. The System provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to contact the System Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services at 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, Orono, ME 04469-5713, by calling 207.581.1226, or via TTY at 711 (Maine Relay System). For more information about Title IX or to file a complaint, please contact the UMS Title IX Coordinator at www.maine.edu/title-ix/.
Clery Act The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, mandates that all Title IV institutions, such as the University, prepare, publish and distribute an Annual Security Report, (ASR) and provide notice of the availability of the ASR to all prospective employees. This report consists of two basic parts: disclosure of the University’s crime statistics for the past three calendar years; and disclosures regarding the University’s current campus security policies. You may view the University’s Annual Security Report. If you wish to have a paper copy of the ASR or you need to have a copy of the ASR in an accessible format, the University will provide such a copy upon request. Please contact: UMaine Police Department, 81 Rangeley Rd., The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5794, or call 207.581.4053.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIE) at the University of Maine (UMaine) invites applications for a non-tenure-track Assistant Research Professor position. This is a unique research and teaching position with an initial two-year, fixed-length, academic-year appointment, anticipated to start January 1, 2027. The successful candidate will play a central role in the Accelerated Soil Stabilization (AS2) project, with a primary focus on the application of accelerated mineral carbonation to soil stabilization, while also contributing to undergraduate and graduate instruction in geotechnical engineering. Typical hiring salary for this position is $80,000 - $90,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience.
In consultation with the Principal Investigator, the successful candidate will lead research activities associated with the AS2 project and supervise and coordinate the research activities of graduate and undergraduate students. The candidate will develop, evaluate, and document laboratory- and field-scale testing, demonstration, and implementation methodologies; analyze and interpret research data; and prepare scholarly and technical products, including peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, conference presentations, and presentation materials for project sponsors and other stakeholders. The position may include field testing and demonstrations at federal, military, or other secured facilities that require site-specific background screening, credentialing, and access authorization.
The successful candidate will teach two courses per academic year, normally consisting of one undergraduate course and one graduate course in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Teaching assignments will be based on departmental needs and the candidate’s expertise, with an emphasis on geotechnical engineering. The candidate will also be encouraged to develop complementary research initiatives, pursue external funding, and mentor graduate and undergraduate students. UMaine is the state’s primary graduate-degree-granting institution and Maine’s designated Land Grant and Sea Grant university, with an R1 Carnegie Classification. Numerous colleges, interdisciplinary research centers, and institutes provide strong opportunities for collaborative research. These include the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (formerly Region I University Transportation Center), the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), the Climate Change Institute, the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, the Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Laboratory, and Advanced Research Computing, Security, and Information Management (ARCSIM), which offers extensive high-performance computing and data resources.
Information about the CIE Department can be found at www.civil.umaine.edu. The successful candidate will join a dynamic engineering program dedicated to high-quality teaching, scholarship, and service – where faculty support work-life integration.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is part of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC), which is a statewide, integrated solution to bring together the natural synergies of all engineering disciplines with computing and provide the technical workforce and innovations that are critical to moving our economy forward. MCEC includes the College of Engineering and School of Computing and Information Science at UMaine, the Department of Engineering at the University of Southern Maine (USM), with other collaborators to include the Department of Computer Science at USM and computing programs at University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) and other campuses within the University of Maine System.
About the University:
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the state. UMaine is a land, sea and space grant university, and maintains a leadership role as the University of Maine System's flagship institution. UMaine is the state's public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, dedicated to providing excellent teaching, research and service for Maine, the nation and the world. More information about UMaine is at umaine.edu.
The University of Maine offers a wide range of benefits for employees including, but not limited to, tuition benefits (employee and dependent), comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short and long term disability as well as retirement plan options.
UMaine is located in beautiful Central Maine. Many employees report that a primary reason for choosing to come to UMaine is quality of life. Numerous cultural activities, excellent public schools, safe neighborhoods, high quality medical care, little traffic, and a reasonable cost of living make the greater Bangor area a wonderful place to live. Visit the Maine Office of Tourism to learn more about what the Bangor region has to offer.
Qualifications:
Required:
- Ph.D. in Civil Engineering or a closely related field by the position start date.
- Demonstrated research experience relevant to geotechnical engineering, soil stabilization, geomaterials, mineral carbonation, cementitious materials, or related chemical and physical processes.
- Evidence of the ability to conduct and communicate high-quality research, including through peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or conference presentations.
- Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, students, project sponsors, and external partners.
- Effective written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to obtain and maintain authorization to access federal government, military, and other secured research and demonstration sites, as required for the performance of assigned duties.
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
- Research experience involving ground improvement, chemical stabilization, mineral carbonation, soil-binder interactions, geomaterials, or laboratory and field testing of stabilized soils.
- Experience developing or conducting laboratory-scale, pilot-scale, or field-scale research.
- Experience supervising or mentoring undergraduate or graduate researchers.
- Teaching experience or demonstrated potential to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in geotechnical engineering.
- Experience preparing research proposals or contributing to externally funded research.
- Record of peer-reviewed scholarly publication.
Other Information:
To be considered for this position you will need to “Apply” and upload the documentation listed below:
1.) a cover letter which describes your experience, interests, and suitability for the position
2.) a resume/curriculum vitae
Candidates selected to proceed to the final stages of the search process will be requested to provide a list of names and contact information for references.
Incomplete application materials cannot be considered. Materials received after the initial review date will be reviewed at the discretion of the University.
For full consideration, materials must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. EST on September 11, 2026.
For questions about the search, please contact search committee chair Aaron Gallant at aaron.gallant@maine.edu.
The successful applicant is subject to appropriate background screening.
The University of Maine System (the System) is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. Consistent with State and Federal law, the System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, pregnancy, or veteran or military status in any aspect of its education, programs and activities, and employment. The System provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to contact the System Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services at 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, Orono, ME 04469-5713, by calling 207.581.1226, or via TTY at 711 (Maine Relay System). For more information about Title IX or to file a complaint, please contact the UMS Title IX Coordinator at www.maine.edu/title-ix/.
Clery Act The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, mandates that all Title IV institutions, such as the University, prepare, publish and distribute an Annual Security Report, (ASR) and provide notice of the availability of the ASR to all prospective employees. This report consists of two basic parts: disclosure of the University’s crime statistics for the past three calendar years; and disclosures regarding the University’s current campus security policies. You may view the University’s Annual Security Report. If you wish to have a paper copy of the ASR or you need to have a copy of the ASR in an accessible format, the University will provide such a copy upon request. Please contact: UMaine Police Department, 81 Rangeley Rd., The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5794, or call 207.581.4053.
See all 447+ OPT Research Assistant Professor Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Research Assistant Professor Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Research Assistant Professor
Target research-intensive universities first
R1 and R2 Carnegie-classified universities file the most H-1B visa petitions for academic researchers. These institutions have established immigration infrastructure, making the transition from OPT to sponsored status significantly smoother than at smaller colleges.
Align your OPT employment with your degree field
For STEM OPT extension eligibility, your Research Assistant Professor role must be directly related to your degree. Document this connection clearly in your DSO reporting, since USCIS scrutinizes academic positions for field alignment during extension applications.
Confirm your employer has a STEM-designated program
STEM OPT extensions require your employer to be E-Verify enrolled. Most major universities already are, but confirm before accepting an offer. Your DSO must also approve the extension before your current EAD expires to maintain work authorization.
Frame your research funding as job security
Hiring departments worry that OPT timelines won't align with grant cycles. Present your current grant funding or fellowship duration upfront, showing you can contribute meaningfully within the authorization window before the department commits to sponsorship.
Build relationships with your department's HR immigration specialist
Large universities have dedicated immigration coordinators who process faculty visa petitions routinely. Identifying and meeting this person early helps you understand the internal sponsorship timeline and signals that you're planning ahead rather than creating last-minute urgency.
Use your publication record as a sponsorship argument
For O-1A or EB-1A pathways, peer-reviewed publications, citations, and conference presentations serve as direct evidence of extraordinary ability. Departments are more willing to sponsor researchers whose credentials already support a strong visa petition case.
Research Assistant Professor OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Research Assistant Professor role qualify for STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a STEM-designated field that matches the research focus of the position. The role must be a paid, bona fide employment relationship with at least 20 hours per week. Unpaid visiting appointments or purely adjunct teaching roles typically do not meet OPT employment requirements, so confirm the terms with your DSO before accepting.
Will universities typically sponsor Research Assistant Professors for H-1B visas?
Most R1 and R2 universities sponsor Research Assistant Professors for H-1B visas regularly, especially when the hire is tied to a funded research project. Universities are cap-exempt employers, meaning they can file H-1B petitions at any time of year without waiting for the annual lottery. This is a meaningful advantage over industry roles, where cap-subject lottery odds add significant uncertainty.
Can I work as a Research Assistant Professor while on OPT if I'm still completing my dissertation?
No. OPT requires that you have already completed or are completing your degree program. You cannot begin post-completion OPT until after your program end date, and your Research Assistant Professor employment must start after your EAD is valid. If you're still ABD and want to work, discuss whether the role qualifies under pre-completion OPT with your DSO.
Where can I find Research Assistant Professor jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT and international students, so the jobs listed there are filtered for visa sponsorship openness. Searching Migrate Mate for Research Assistant Professor roles saves time compared to sorting through postings that don't address work authorization at all.
Does a Research Assistant Professor role count as qualifying employment for an EB-1A or EB-2 NIW green card?
Yes. Research faculty positions are among the most commonly cited roles in successful EB-1A extraordinary ability and EB-2 National Interest Waiver petitions. Your publications, citations, grant funding, peer review activity, and contributions to your field all serve as direct evidence. Many researchers begin building their green card case while on OPT, since the record you establish during this period forms the foundation of the petition.