STEM OPT Research Engineer Jobs
Research Engineer roles in areas like machine learning, materials science, and biomedical systems are strong fits for STEM OPT. Your 24-month extension applies if your degree falls under an eligible CIP code, and your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify before your extension start date.
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INTRODUCTION
Meta is seeking Research Engineers to join the Evaluations team within Meta Superintelligence Labs. Evaluations are the core of AI progress at MSL, determining what capabilities get built, which features get prioritized, and how fast our models improve. As a Research Engineer on this team, you will curate and build the benchmarks for our most advanced AI models, across text, vision, audio, and beyond. You'll work alongside world-class researchers and engineers to collect, develop, and deploy novel benchmarks and reinforcement learning environments. This is a highly technical role requiring practical research engineering skills and the ability to work independently on a variety of open-ended machine learning challenges with high reliability. The evaluations you build will directly impact the research direction and major model lines within MSL, making engineering reliability, rigor, and scalability paramount. You will excel by maintaining high velocity while adapting to rapidly shifting priorities as we advance the technical research frontier. You'll need to be flexible and adaptive, tackling a wide variety of problems in the evaluations space, from implementing existing benchmarks to developing novel benchmarks and environments to implementing evaluation tooling at scale. If you are passionate about defining the capabilities that drive AI progress and thrive in fast-paced, high-impact research environments, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity at the core of MSL.
RESEARCH ENGINEER - MSL FAIR FOUNDATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Curate and integrate publicly available and internal benchmarks to direct the capabilities of frontier model development
- Develop and implement evaluation environments, including environments for novel model capabilities and modalities
- Collaborate with external data vendors to source and prepare high-quality evaluation datasets
- Execute on the technical vision of research scientists designing new benchmarks and evaluations
- Build robust, reusable evaluation pipelines that scale across multiple model lines and product areas
- Contribute to evaluation tooling that measures the quality and reliability of evaluation suites
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- 4+ years of experience in machine learning engineering, machine learning research, or a related technical role
- Proficiency in Python and experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch
- Experience identifying, designing and completing medium to large technical features independently, without guidance
- Demonstrated experience in software engineering practices including version control, testing, and code review practices
- Ability to work independently and adapt to rapidly changing priorities
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Publications at peer-reviewed venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, or similar) related to language model evaluation, benchmarking, or deep learning
- Hands-on experience with language model post-training and deep learning systems, or building reinforcement learning environments
- Experience implementing or developing evaluation benchmarks for large language models and multimodal models (e.g., vision-language, audio, video)
- Experience working with large-scale distributed systems and data pipelines
- Familiarity with language model evaluation frameworks and metrics
- Track record of open-source contributions to ML evaluation tools or benchmarks
ABOUT META:
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.
Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com.
COMPENSATION
- $183,997/year to $257,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Research Engineer
Verify your CIP code before applying
Check that your degree's CIP code appears on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Research Engineer roles typically align with engineering, computer science, or physical science codes, but a mismatch disqualifies your extension regardless of your job duties.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before signing
Ask your hiring contact for the company's E-Verify company ID number before you accept an offer. An employer can't sponsor your STEM OPT extension without active E-Verify enrollment, and not every research lab or university spinout is enrolled.
Negotiate your I-983 training plan early
Draft your Form I-983 training plan during the offer stage, not after you start. Research Engineer roles need a plan that maps specific lab activities, project milestones, and skill outcomes to your STEM degree field, which takes time to do accurately.
Target employers with active DOL LCA filings
Use Migrate Mate to filter Research Engineer postings by employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications. LCA history signals that a company has navigated federal work authorization requirements before and understands what STEM OPT compliance involves.
Check prevailing wage against your offer
Look up the wage level for your research role using the OFLC Wage Search before finalizing compensation. Your employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for your job title and location, which USCIS reviews when evaluating your STEM OPT extension application.
Start your DSO application 90 days out
File your STEM OPT extension application with USCIS no later than 90 days before your initial OPT end date. Your DSO must update your SEVIS record first, and USCIS processing can extend beyond your OPT expiration, so early filing protects your continuous work authorization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Research Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Research Engineer positions qualify if your degree's CIP code appears on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List and the role directly relates to that field of study. O*NET classifies research engineering work under STEM occupations, but your DSO must confirm the CIP code match before authorizing your extension. The job title alone isn't enough.
What does the I-983 training plan need to include for a research role?
Your Form I-983 must describe specific learning objectives tied to your degree field, identify the employer supervisor responsible for your training, and outline how each project or lab activity develops practical STEM skills. Generic job descriptions don't satisfy the requirement. Both you and your employer must sign the plan, and your DSO must review it before submitting your extension application to USCIS.
How do I verify that a research employer is enrolled in E-Verify?
Ask your recruiter or HR contact directly for the company's E-Verify company ID. You can also search the E-Verify employer database by company name. Government-funded research labs, national laboratories, and university-affiliated research centers are often enrolled, but smaller startup labs and contract research organizations sometimes are not, so always confirm before your extension start date.
What happens to my STEM OPT if my research employer loses E-Verify enrollment?
If your employer's E-Verify enrollment lapses or is terminated after your extension begins, your authorization is at risk. USCIS requires employers to maintain active E-Verify enrollment for the full duration of your STEM OPT period. You should report the change to your DSO immediately and begin evaluating whether to transfer to a new employer before your status is affected.
Where can I find Research Engineer jobs where employers are already prepared for STEM OPT?
Migrate Mate filters Research Engineer postings by employers with verified Labor Condition Application filing history, which indicates familiarity with federal work authorization requirements. Searching there reduces the time you spend vetting employers who have never sponsored OPT or don't know what E-Verify enrollment or an I-983 training plan involves.