STEM OPT Postdoctoral Researcher Jobs
Postdoctoral Researcher roles sit squarely within STEM OPT eligibility, giving graduates with qualifying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics degrees up to 24 additional months of work authorization beyond their initial OPT period. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, which most universities and research institutions already are.
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The Buck Institute for Research on Aging is seeking a full-time Bioinformatics and Data Scientist or Postdoctoral Researcher to join a collaborative research team focused on aging, multi-omics, computational biology, and translational data science. This position offers a unique opportunity to work in an academic research environment with a close-knit, interdisciplinary team while collaborating with leading experts in aging biology, bioinformatics, clinical research, and computational science. The successful candidate will contribute to a five-year government-funded project focused on advancing computational and multi-omics approaches to better understand human aging, biological resilience, and healthspan. This role will support broader nationwide efforts to develop data-driven approaches that may ultimately improve how aging and age-related disease risk are measured, modeled, and addressed. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in bioinformatics, statistics, computational biology, human omics data analysis, and scientific communication. The position is well suited for an independent, highly motivated scientist who enjoys working across disciplines and contributing to both discovery-driven and translational research.
Key Responsibilities
2. Analyze, curate, and manage research data
- Perform bioinformatics and data science analyses. The successful candidate will analyze diverse biological and clinical datasets, including but not limited to:
- Proteomics
- Metabolomics
- Methylomics
- Survey data
- Integrative multi-omics datasets
- Human biological aging and omics-clock data
- Drug repurposing analyses
- Enrichment and pathway analyses
- Dimensionality reduction and clustering
- Classification methods, including random forests and support vector machines
- Neural network-based approaches
- Simple and multiple linear regression
- Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses
Responsibilities will include:
- Curating, organizing, and preparing data for analysis and upload to central repositories
- Supporting data harmonization across projects, cohorts, and collaborators in accordance with data use agreements
- Reviewing and improving standard operating procedures for data transfer, quality control, and management
- Coordinating with internal and external teams to ensure timely collection, transfer, and analysis of data
- Attending project meetings and contributing to improvements in data workflows, systems, and documentation
- Ensuring data quality, reproducibility, and compliance with project requirements
3. Collaborate with scientific and administrative teams
The candidate will work closely with staff members, research scientists, computational biologists, principal investigators, and external collaborators. Responsibilities may include:
- Contributing to grant applications, progress reports, and scientific proposals
- Supporting manuscript preparation and journal article writing
- Creating publication-quality figures, tables, and data visualizations
- Presenting analyses and findings to interdisciplinary research teams
- Helping translate complex computational results into clear biological and scientific interpretations
Qualifications
Required Education and Experience
- Strong background in both human biology and bioinformatics
- PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Biostatistics, Systems Biology, Computer Science, or a related field
- Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in a biological, biomedical, or computational research environment
- Strong proficiency in R, Python, and Bash scripting
- Demonstrated experience analyzing biological or biomedical datasets
- Experience developing, implementing, and running bioinformatics workflows
Required Skills
- Strong analytical, mathematical, and creative problem-solving skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-based research environment
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks across concurrent projects
- Experience with reproducible data analysis practices and documentation
- Ability to communicate technical results to both computational and non-computational audiences
- Interest in applying large language models, agentic AI, or related computational tools to biomedical research workflows
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with FDA approval process
- Experience with building apps
Compensation And Benefits
- Salary range: $80,000–$85,000, commensurate with experience
- Full-time, onsite position
- Exciting, collaborative work environment at the forefront of aging research
- Opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technologies and interdisciplinary scientific teams
- Generous benefits package, including:
- Health insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Generous paid time off
- 401(k) with 5% employer match
- Work visa sponsorship available for qualified candidates
About The Buck Institute
Our success will ultimately change healthcare. At the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, we aim to end the threat of age-related diseases for this and future generations by bringing together the most capable and passionate scientists from a broad range of disciplines to identify and impede the ways in which we age. The Buck is an independent, nonprofit institution located in Marin County, California, with the goal of increasing human healthspan, or the healthy years of life. Globally recognized as a pioneer and leader in efforts to target aging — the number one risk factor for diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, macular degeneration, heart disease, and diabetes — the Buck seeks to help people live better longer. We are an equal opportunity employer and strive to create an atmosphere where diversity of identity, experience, and background are welcomed, valued, and supported. Candidates who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply
Interested candidates should click the Apply button to complete the online application. Please upload both:
- Your CV
- A brief statement of research interests, including the names and contact information for three references
Position Summary
The Buck Institute for Research on Aging is seeking a full-time Bioinformatics and Data Scientist or Postdoctoral Researcher to join a collaborative research team focused on aging, multi-omics, computational biology, and translational data science. This position offers a unique opportunity to work in an academic research environment with a close-knit, interdisciplinary team while collaborating with leading experts in aging biology, bioinformatics, clinical research, and computational science. The successful candidate will contribute to a five-year government-funded project focused on advancing computational and multi-omics approaches to better understand human aging, biological resilience, and healthspan. This role will support broader nationwide efforts to develop data-driven approaches that may ultimately improve how aging and age-related disease risk are measured, modeled, and addressed. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in bioinformatics, statistics, computational biology, human omics data analysis, and scientific communication. The position is well suited for an independent, highly motivated scientist who enjoys working across disciplines and contributing to both discovery-driven and translational research.
Key Responsibilities
2. Analyze, curate, and manage research data
- Perform bioinformatics and data science analyses. The successful candidate will analyze diverse biological and clinical datasets, including but not limited to:
- Proteomics
- Metabolomics
- Methylomics
- Survey data
- Integrative multi-omics datasets
- Human biological aging and omics-clock data
- Drug repurposing analyses
- Enrichment and pathway analyses
- Dimensionality reduction and clustering
- Classification methods, including random forests and support vector machines
- Neural network-based approaches
- Simple and multiple linear regression
- Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses
Responsibilities will include:
- Curating, organizing, and preparing data for analysis and upload to central repositories
- Supporting data harmonization across projects, cohorts, and collaborators in accordance with data use agreements
- Reviewing and improving standard operating procedures for data transfer, quality control, and management
- Coordinating with internal and external teams to ensure timely collection, transfer, and analysis of data
- Attending project meetings and contributing to improvements in data workflows, systems, and documentation
- Ensuring data quality, reproducibility, and compliance with project requirements
3. Collaborate with scientific and administrative teams
The candidate will work closely with staff members, research scientists, computational biologists, principal investigators, and external collaborators. Responsibilities may include:
- Contributing to grant applications, progress reports, and scientific proposals
- Supporting manuscript preparation and journal article writing
- Creating publication-quality figures, tables, and data visualizations
- Presenting analyses and findings to interdisciplinary research teams
- Helping translate complex computational results into clear biological and scientific interpretations
Qualifications
Required Education and Experience
- Strong background in both human biology and bioinformatics
- PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Biostatistics, Systems Biology, Computer Science, or a related field
- Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in a biological, biomedical, or computational research environment
- Strong proficiency in R, Python, and Bash scripting
- Demonstrated experience analyzing biological or biomedical datasets
- Experience developing, implementing, and running bioinformatics workflows
Required Skills
- Strong analytical, mathematical, and creative problem-solving skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-based research environment
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks across concurrent projects
- Experience with reproducible data analysis practices and documentation
- Ability to communicate technical results to both computational and non-computational audiences
- Interest in applying large language models, agentic AI, or related computational tools to biomedical research workflows
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with FDA approval process
- Experience with building apps
Compensation And Benefits
- Salary range: $80,000–$85,000, commensurate with experience
- Full-time, onsite position
- Exciting, collaborative work environment at the forefront of aging research
- Opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technologies and interdisciplinary scientific teams
- Generous benefits package, including:
- Health insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Generous paid time off
- 401(k) with 5% employer match
- Work visa sponsorship available for qualified candidates
About The Buck Institute
Our success will ultimately change healthcare. At the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, we aim to end the threat of age-related diseases for this and future generations by bringing together the most capable and passionate scientists from a broad range of disciplines to identify and impede the ways in which we age. The Buck is an independent, nonprofit institution located in Marin County, California, with the goal of increasing human healthspan, or the healthy years of life. Globally recognized as a pioneer and leader in efforts to target aging — the number one risk factor for diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, macular degeneration, heart disease, and diabetes — the Buck seeks to help people live better longer. We are an equal opportunity employer and strive to create an atmosphere where diversity of identity, experience, and background are welcomed, valued, and supported. Candidates who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply
Interested candidates should click the Apply button to complete the online application. Please upload both:
- Your CV
- A brief statement of research interests, including the names and contact information for three references
See all 407+ STEM OPT Postdoctoral Researcher Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Postdoctoral Researcher Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization in Postdoctoral Researcher
Verify your CIP code before applying
Your STEM OPT extension depends on your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code appearing on USCIS's STEM Designated Degree Program List. Check your I-20 and confirm your DSO has the correct CIP code before submitting your extension application.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Universities and national labs almost universally maintain E-Verify enrollment, but private research institutes sometimes don't. Ask HR for the employer's E-Verify Company ID or look up the organization directly in the E-Verify database before signing an offer.
Target labs with existing I-983 infrastructure
Postdoc positions require a completed I-983 Training Plan connecting your research duties to your STEM degree. Principal investigators who have sponsored STEM OPT students before already know this process, which cuts your onboarding timeline significantly.
Use Migrate Mate to filter postdoc employers
Many postdoc listings don't specify E-Verify status or prior STEM OPT experience. Migrate Mate filters employers by verified E-Verify enrollment so you can focus your applications on institutions already equipped to hire you.
File your extension 90 days before OPT expires
USCIS allows STEM OPT extension applications starting 90 days before your current EAD end date. Filing early triggers cap-gap protection if your status bridges into an H-1B visa cycle, keeping your work authorization continuous without a gap.
Negotiate your offer letter before the I-983 is drafted
The I-983 must accurately reflect your actual duties, supervision structure, and how the work relates to your degree field. Nail down your title, department, and primary research responsibilities in the offer letter first so the training plan matches without revision requests from your DSO.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Postdoctoral Researcher role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, postdoctoral research positions qualify if your underlying degree appears on USCIS's STEM Designated Degree Program List and the work is directly related to that field. Most postdoc roles in biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, and engineering satisfy this requirement. Confirm your degree's CIP code with your DSO before applying for the extension.
Are universities and research institutions enrolled in E-Verify?
Most universities and federally funded research institutions are enrolled in E-Verify, but enrollment isn't universal for every campus unit or affiliated research center. Always ask HR for confirmation of the employer's E-Verify Company ID before you accept an offer. Private institutes and nonprofits vary. Migrate Mate shows verified E-Verify enrollment status so you can screen employers before applying.
What goes into the I-983 Training Plan for a postdoc position?
The I-983 requires your employer to describe how your postdoctoral research duties connect to your STEM degree field, identify your supervising faculty member or PI, and outline learning objectives and evaluation timelines. Your DSO must sign off on the plan before your extension is approved. Any significant change in your research scope or supervisor requires a revised I-983 within five days.
Can I stay in status while transitioning between postdoc positions on STEM OPT?
You have a 10-day grace period between OPT-authorized positions, but you must maintain authorization continuously. If you're leaving one postdoc and starting another, coordinate the end date of the first position and start date of the second carefully. Report employer changes to your DSO immediately, as STEM OPT requires timely updates to SEVIS whenever your employment changes.
How does cap-gap protection work if my postdoc employer files an H-1B petition for me?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your OPT EAD expires and you're selected in the lottery, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year. You can continue your postdoctoral research uninterrupted during this period. Your DSO issues an updated I-20 confirming cap-gap status, which serves as your employment authorization evidence.