STEM OPT Research Assistant Jobs
Research Assistant roles at universities, government labs, and private R&D firms regularly hire STEM OPT students. Your 24-month STEM OPT extension applies if your degree CIP code aligns with the role, and every employer must be enrolled in E-Verify before your training plan is approved.
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Get Access To All JobsPosition 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
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 696+ STEM OPT Research Assistant Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Research Assistant Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Research Assistant
Verify your CIP code before applying
Pull your degree's CIP code from your I-20 and cross-reference it against USCIS's STEM Designated Degree Program List. A mismatch between your listed degree field and the research role's discipline is the most common reason DSOs reject STEM OPT extension requests.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask hiring managers for their E-Verify Company ID or search the E-Verify employer search portal directly. Research labs inside universities sometimes operate under a parent institution's enrollment, so clarify which legal entity is actually signing your I-983.
Target federal grant-funded labs for faster onboarding
NIH- and NSF-funded research positions at universities and nonprofit institutes almost always maintain active E-Verify enrollment because federal contracting requires it. Filtering your search by grant-funded employers cuts the E-Verify verification step down significantly.
Build your I-983 training plan around specific research tasks
USCIS requires your I-983 to list concrete learning objectives tied to your STEM degree. For Research Assistant roles, map each lab task, data analysis method, or instrumentation skill directly to a degree competency rather than submitting a generic job description.
Search Migrate Mate to find Research Assistant roles at E-Verify employers
Filter by STEM OPT on Migrate Mate to surface Research Assistant openings at employers already enrolled in E-Verify. This saves you from applying to positions where the sponsorship infrastructure isn't in place, which is a common source of offer-letter delays.
Use cap-gap protection if your OPT expires during H-1B transition
If you're moving from STEM OPT toward H-1B visa sponsorship and your EAD expires between April 1 and October 1, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization. Confirm your employer's I-129 was filed before your EAD end date so your research role doesn't have a gap in authorization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Research Assistant jobs qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree's CIP code appears on USCIS's STEM Designated Degree Program List and the Research Assistant role requires you to apply knowledge from that field. Life sciences, computer science, engineering, and physical science degrees commonly qualify. Your DSO confirms the match when you apply for the 24-month extension through your school's SEVIS record. Roles that are purely administrative, even at research institutions, typically don't qualify.
How do I know if a research employer is enrolled in E-Verify?
Ask the hiring manager or HR contact for the employer's E-Verify Company ID before accepting an offer. You can also search the E-Verify employer search tool by employer name. For university-based Research Assistant positions, confirm whether the specific department or lab is covered under the university's master E-Verify account, since some satellite locations enroll separately. Your I-983 training plan cannot be approved without confirmed E-Verify enrollment.
What goes into an I-983 training plan for a Research Assistant role?
Your I-983 must describe how each research duty connects to your STEM degree's learning outcomes. List specific tasks such as data collection protocols, statistical analysis methods, or laboratory techniques, and tie each one to a competency from your degree program. USCIS reviews these plans for substance, so a generic job description copied from the posting won't satisfy the requirement. Your employer signs the form alongside your DSO, and you must update it if your duties change significantly.
What happens to my STEM OPT if my Research Assistant contract ends between April and September during an H-1B year?
Cap-gap protection extends your STEM OPT work authorization automatically if your employer filed an H-1B petition on your behalf before your EAD expiration date and you were selected in the lottery. Authorization continues until October 1, the H-1B start date, with no action required on your part. If the petition is withdrawn or denied, cap-gap protection ends and you must stop working. Confirm your employer filed before your EAD end date, not just before April 1.
Where can I find Research Assistant jobs that already support STEM OPT students?
Migrate Mate lists Research Assistant openings filtered for STEM OPT eligibility, so you can identify employers with active E-Verify enrollment without manually verifying each one. Federal grant-funded labs at universities and nonprofit research institutes are consistently strong options because federal contracting requirements push them to maintain E-Verify enrollment year-round. Prioritize employers who have onboarded STEM OPT students before, since they're familiar with the I-983 process and reporting timelines.