STEM OPT Associate Scientist Jobs
Associate Scientist roles in biotech, pharma, and research labs are a strong fit for STEM OPT students with degrees in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or related fields. Your 24-month STEM OPT extension applies here, giving you up to 36 months total, provided your employer is enrolled in E-Verify.
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Get Access To All JobsThe Associate Scientist will serve as the platform lead for Xenium spatial transcriptomics projects at Single Cell Biology Lab (SCBL) within The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality, robust data. The SCBL is a core facility supporting the scientific research community with cutting-edge single-cell technologies, including dissociative single-cell omics, spatial omics, and high-content screening. This role is central to the lab's spatial genomics capabilities, requiring deep expertise in the Xenium workflow, exceptional project coordination, and strong communication with scientific stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will be the technical expert for all Xenium operations from sample handling and experimental execution to data quality control and workflow optimization. You will leverage your strong background in molecular biology, tissue handling, and single-cell technologies to enhance and expand the capabilities of the Single Cell Biology Lab.
Key Responsibilities & Essential Functions
- Platform Leadership: Serve as the Xenium Platform Lead and Subject Matter Expert (SME), providing guidance and support to end-users and the broader scientific community.
- Project Management & Execution: Coordinate the full lifecycle of Xenium projects, including managing sample submission and receiving, providing service quotations, executing experiments, and ensuring final data quality control (QC).
- System Maintenance: Oversee instrument management, including maintaining the Xenium instrument, managing stock and inventory, and performing advanced troubleshooting of equipment and assays.
- Process Optimization & Development: Drive the continuous improvement of the platform by optimizing existing workflows and developing new spatial genomics capabilities and technologies.
- Scientific Awareness: Stay current with the newest developments in the spatial genomics field and effectively communicate technological updates to the team and research community.
- Meticulous Documentation: Maintain excellent documentation standards, including comprehensive lab notebooks, SOPs, error/work logs, metadata, and sample information.
- Stakeholder Communication: Ensure seamless communication with end-users, vendors, colleagues, and managers to coordinate and successfully complete all Xenium projects.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required
- Education: Master’s degree (M.S.) in Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific field.
- Experience: 2-4 years of experience in a core facility or industry setting.
- Molecular & RNA Biology: Deep and comprehensive understanding of RNA and molecular biology principles, including associated assays.
- Imaging-Based Spatial Genomics Expertise: Hands-on experience with FISH-based platforms, including 10x Genomics Xenium, MERFISH, and seqFISH.
- Technical Breadth: Comprehensive knowledge of various spatial genomics technologies (e.g., Xenium, Visium, MERFISH, seqFISH).
- Sample Handling: Direct experience with tissue sectioning, handling, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) techniques.
- Documentation: Experience in writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and familiarity with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN).
- Operational Skills: Proven project and lab management experience, including managing stock, inventory, and instrument uptime.
- Soft Skills: Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills; proven ability to thrive as a team player within interdisciplinary groups.
Preferred
- Education: Ph.D. preferred
- Single-Cell Experience: Hands-on experience with single-cell technologies (e.g., 10x Chromium, smart-seq, split-and-pool methods).
- Biopharma Industry Experience: Preferred experience working in an industrial setting, such as the biotechnology or pharmaceutical sector, demonstrating familiarity with industry-standard workflows and requirements.
- Histology Expertise: Experience in histopathology.
- Development: Proven track record in technology development or assay optimization.
Pay Range: $69,711 - $90,624
CA-NL6
About JAX:
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community.
EEO Statement:
The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.
The Associate Scientist will serve as the platform lead for Xenium spatial transcriptomics projects at Single Cell Biology Lab (SCBL) within The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality, robust data. The SCBL is a core facility supporting the scientific research community with cutting-edge single-cell technologies, including dissociative single-cell omics, spatial omics, and high-content screening. This role is central to the lab's spatial genomics capabilities, requiring deep expertise in the Xenium workflow, exceptional project coordination, and strong communication with scientific stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will be the technical expert for all Xenium operations from sample handling and experimental execution to data quality control and workflow optimization. You will leverage your strong background in molecular biology, tissue handling, and single-cell technologies to enhance and expand the capabilities of the Single Cell Biology Lab.
Key Responsibilities & Essential Functions
- Platform Leadership: Serve as the Xenium Platform Lead and Subject Matter Expert (SME), providing guidance and support to end-users and the broader scientific community.
- Project Management & Execution: Coordinate the full lifecycle of Xenium projects, including managing sample submission and receiving, providing service quotations, executing experiments, and ensuring final data quality control (QC).
- System Maintenance: Oversee instrument management, including maintaining the Xenium instrument, managing stock and inventory, and performing advanced troubleshooting of equipment and assays.
- Process Optimization & Development: Drive the continuous improvement of the platform by optimizing existing workflows and developing new spatial genomics capabilities and technologies.
- Scientific Awareness: Stay current with the newest developments in the spatial genomics field and effectively communicate technological updates to the team and research community.
- Meticulous Documentation: Maintain excellent documentation standards, including comprehensive lab notebooks, SOPs, error/work logs, metadata, and sample information.
- Stakeholder Communication: Ensure seamless communication with end-users, vendors, colleagues, and managers to coordinate and successfully complete all Xenium projects.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required
- Education: Master’s degree (M.S.) in Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific field.
- Experience: 2-4 years of experience in a core facility or industry setting.
- Molecular & RNA Biology: Deep and comprehensive understanding of RNA and molecular biology principles, including associated assays.
- Imaging-Based Spatial Genomics Expertise: Hands-on experience with FISH-based platforms, including 10x Genomics Xenium, MERFISH, and seqFISH.
- Technical Breadth: Comprehensive knowledge of various spatial genomics technologies (e.g., Xenium, Visium, MERFISH, seqFISH).
- Sample Handling: Direct experience with tissue sectioning, handling, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) techniques.
- Documentation: Experience in writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and familiarity with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN).
- Operational Skills: Proven project and lab management experience, including managing stock, inventory, and instrument uptime.
- Soft Skills: Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills; proven ability to thrive as a team player within interdisciplinary groups.
Preferred
- Education: Ph.D. preferred
- Single-Cell Experience: Hands-on experience with single-cell technologies (e.g., 10x Chromium, smart-seq, split-and-pool methods).
- Biopharma Industry Experience: Preferred experience working in an industrial setting, such as the biotechnology or pharmaceutical sector, demonstrating familiarity with industry-standard workflows and requirements.
- Histology Expertise: Experience in histopathology.
- Development: Proven track record in technology development or assay optimization.
Pay Range: $69,711 - $90,624
CA-NL6
About JAX:
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community.
EEO Statement:
The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.
See all 190+ STEM OPT Associate Scientist Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as an Associate Scientist
Verify your CIP code matches the role
Check that your degree's CIP code appears on the STEM Designated Degree Program List before applying. Associate Scientist postings in life sciences typically require biology, chemistry, or biochemistry credentials, and a mismatched CIP code can invalidate your extension.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Search the E-Verify employer database to confirm enrollment before you sign anything. Biotech startups and contract research organizations sometimes lack enrollment, which disqualifies them as STEM OPT sponsors regardless of how well the role fits your degree.
Benchmark your offer against prevailing wage data
Run the job title and work location through the OFLC Wage Search before negotiating. Associate Scientist wages vary significantly by region and lab type, and knowing the DOL wage level helps you evaluate whether an offer meets the threshold required for your I-983 training plan.
Build an I-983 training plan tied to lab competencies
Work with your DSO to draft an I-983 that maps specific lab skills like assay development, data analysis, or cell culture to your STEM degree objectives. Generic training plans raise DSO flags and delay your extension approval, so be concrete about technical tasks from day one.
Target employers with established research pipelines
Use Migrate Mate to filter Associate Scientist openings by employers who regularly hire STEM OPT students and are already enrolled in E-Verify. This cuts out the back-and-forth of confirming eligibility and gets you to the interview stage faster.
File your STEM OPT extension 90 days before OPT ends
Submit your I-765 to USCIS no later than 90 days before your current OPT expires. If USCIS hasn't adjudicated by your end date, your cap-gap protection only applies if you have an H-1B visa petition pending, so timing the filing correctly protects your ability to keep working.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Associate Scientist role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a qualifying STEM field such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or a related discipline with a CIP code on the STEM Designated Degree Program List. The role itself must also provide practical training directly related to your degree. Check your I-20 and confirm the CIP code with your DSO before applying.
Does my employer need to be enrolled in E-Verify to hire me on STEM OPT?
Yes. E-Verify enrollment is a hard requirement for STEM OPT employers, not an optional step. You and your employer must both sign the I-983 training plan, and USCIS requires the employer to be actively enrolled in E-Verify at the time you start work. Verify enrollment through the E-Verify employer search before accepting an offer.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for an Associate Scientist position?
The I-983 must describe specific learning objectives tied to your STEM degree, identify the lab skills or research competencies you'll develop, name your on-site supervisor, and outline how the employer will evaluate your progress. For Associate Scientist roles, that typically means detailing techniques like assay development, data interpretation, or experimental design rather than listing general job duties.
How does cap-gap protection work if my STEM OPT expires while my H-1B is pending?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your STEM OPT end date, cap-gap rules allow you to continue working until October 1 of that fiscal year, even if your EAD has expired. USCIS must receive the petition before your authorized period ends, so your employer's filing timeline matters significantly.
Where can I find Associate Scientist jobs where employers are already set up for STEM OPT?
Migrate Mate filters Associate Scientist listings by E-Verify enrollment status, so you're only seeing employers who already meet the baseline STEM OPT requirement. That removes the most common early-stage friction, which is finding out after an interview that a company isn't enrolled, and lets you focus on evaluating the role and training plan fit instead.