STEM OPT Research Data Scientist Jobs
Research Data Scientist roles sit squarely within STEM OPT eligibility, drawing on degrees in statistics, computer science, and related fields. Your 24-month STEM OPT extension applies here, giving you up to 36 months total to build U.S. experience, provided your employer is enrolled in E-Verify.
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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 252+ STEM OPT Research Data Scientist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Research Data Scientist Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Research Data Scientist
Verify your CIP code before applying
Check that your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code maps to a STEM-designated field recognized by ICE. Data science, statistics, and computer science degrees typically qualify, but interdisciplinary programs sometimes don't. Confirm with your DSO before you start applying.
Screen employers for E-Verify enrollment early
Before submitting any application, confirm the employer is actively enrolled in E-Verify through the E-Verify employer search tool. STEM OPT authorization is void without it, and many smaller research labs or startups aren't enrolled despite hiring data scientists.
Target research-heavy teams with established OPT pipelines
University research divisions, national labs, and large tech companies with dedicated data science teams file I-983 training plans regularly. Searching on Migrate Mate filters for employers with active STEM OPT hiring history, saving you from cold-applying to companies unfamiliar with the process.
Align your I-983 training goals to the actual role
Your I-983 must outline specific learning objectives tied to your STEM degree, not generic job duties. For Research Data Scientist roles, document planned exposure to experimental design, statistical modeling, or ML methodology so USCIS can verify the training connection to your field of study.
Use OFLC Wage Search to set salary expectations by SOC code
Research Data Scientist roles map to a specific Standard Occupational Classification code. Run the OFLC Wage Search before negotiating an offer to confirm the employer's proposed wage meets prevailing wage levels, which affects both your offer and any future H-1B visa labor condition application.
Negotiate your start date around cap-gap timing
If your OPT expires before October 1 and your employer files an H-1B petition before that date, cap-gap extends your work authorization automatically. Structure your offer letter start date to account for this window so authorization doesn't lapse between OPT expiration and H-1B activation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Research Data Scientist role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, provided your degree is in a STEM-designated field such as statistics, computer science, applied mathematics, or a related discipline recognized on the ICE STEM Designated Degree Program List. The Research Data Scientist occupation falls under SOC codes aligned with mathematical science and computer-related occupations, both of which consistently qualify. Confirm your specific CIP code with your DSO before applying.
What E-Verify requirement applies to my STEM OPT employer?
Your employer must be actively enrolled in E-Verify for the specific worksite where you'll work. Enrollment at the company level doesn't automatically cover all locations, so verify that the hiring site is enrolled, not just the corporate headquarters. If the employer isn't enrolled, they must enroll before you can begin working under STEM OPT authorization. You can check enrollment status through the E-Verify employer search.
What does the I-983 training plan require for a Research Data Scientist position?
The I-983 must describe how the Research Data Scientist role provides practical training directly related to your STEM degree. You'll need to document specific learning objectives, such as applying statistical inference methods, building predictive models, or conducting data-driven experiments, rather than listing general job duties. Both you and your employer sign the form, and your DSO must receive it before your STEM OPT extension is approved by USCIS.
How does cap-gap protection work if I'm a Research Data Scientist on STEM OPT?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your STEM OPT EAD expires, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year, or until USCIS makes a final decision on your case if it's still pending after October 1. You can continue working as a Research Data Scientist without interruption during that period, as long as the petition was filed on time and you remain in valid F-1 status.
Where can I find Research Data Scientist jobs where employers are already familiar with STEM OPT?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 STEM OPT students and surfaces Research Data Scientist roles at employers with documented work authorization hiring activity. Searching there filters out companies unlikely to navigate the I-983 process or E-Verify enrollment, so you're focusing your applications on employers already set up to hire you. Your DSO can also advise on employers in your institution's established OPT network.