Biotech & Pharma CPT Jobs in California
California is the top state for biotech and pharma F-1 CPT jobs, anchored by major hubs in San Diego's Torrey Pines corridor, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles. Companies like Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Amgen, and Illumina regularly bring on CPT students for research, computational biology, and regulatory roles across their California operations.
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About Syngenta
At Syngenta Vegetables and Flowers, we're cultivating tomorrow's variety through innovative breeding that brings vibrant colors to gardens and nutritious vegetables to tables worldwide. We combine centuries of seed heritage with cutting-edge innovation to develop resilient, high-performing varieties that thrive in diverse climates. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable horticulture, where every seed holds the potential to enhance lives through better nutrition and natural beauty.
Job Description
At Syngenta, our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture, providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers' success. We invite you to help shape the future of agriculture and play a role in safely feeding the world while caring for our planet.
Syngenta's Operations & Trialing Team is seeking a Breeding Intern - Cucurbits Germplasm Development in Woodland, CA. This internship role will introduce you to Vegetable Seeds Development, gaining experience by supporting the Cucurbits breeding team activities. This is a unique learning experience, as the intern will take on several responsibilities across multiple crops.
As part of Syngenta's Emerging Talent Program, you will gain hands-on experience, exposure to day-to-day business operations, and opportunities to apply your academic knowledge to real-world challenges while developing your professional skills.
Duration: Mid-June 2027 - Mid-September 2027
Accountabilities:
- Foster an operational culture founded on adherence to all applicable HSE and other corporate policies, procedures, and guidelines.
- Support the Breeding Team in field-related activities for the evaluation of new experimental hybrids and new inbred lines.
- Implement High-Throughput Phenotyping protocols in Cucurbit programs.
- Implement electronic data collection protocols and procedures; collect, document, and curate data for accuracy and integrity.
- Manage and lead field crew activities during the field evaluation season.
- Assist breeding and market segment teams in collecting data for trait discovery and validation projects.
- Perform other duties as required to meet project needs.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Requires a High School Diploma or equivalent.
- Student must be pursuing a bachelor’s or advanced degree in an applicable discipline (Plant Biology, Plant Breeding, Horticulture, Genetics, Agronomy, or another closely related major is preferred).
- Bilingual (English and Spanish) would be ideal but is not required.
- All applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.
Desired Qualifications:
- Excellent communication skills to work well with co-workers on tasks.
- An independent individual who is self-motivated and needs little supervision.
- The ability to communicate information (written and spoken) is highly desired.
- Detail-/Accuracy-Oriented: All procedures and policies must be understood and followed.
- Excellent computer skills, such as proficiency in Microsoft Office.
- Innovative: Always looking to implement new procedures or technologies to improve work efficiencies.
- Knowledge of plant breeding.
Additional Information
Salary for this position ranges between $20 - $45 hourly.
What We Offer:
- A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members.
- Competitive wages
- Ongoing career development resources
- The opportunity to work on meaningful, innovative projects that solve problems
Syngenta is committed to creating a culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development, and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members.
Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal.
Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Company Description
About Syngenta
At Syngenta Vegetables and Flowers, we're cultivating tomorrow's variety through innovative breeding that brings vibrant colors to gardens and nutritious vegetables to tables worldwide. We combine centuries of seed heritage with cutting-edge innovation to develop resilient, high-performing varieties that thrive in diverse climates. Join us in shaping the future of sustainable horticulture, where every seed holds the potential to enhance lives through better nutrition and natural beauty.
Job Description
At Syngenta, our goal is to build the most collaborative and trustworthy team in agriculture, providing top-quality seeds and innovative crop protection solutions that improve farmers' success. We invite you to help shape the future of agriculture and play a role in safely feeding the world while caring for our planet.
Syngenta's Operations & Trialing Team is seeking a Breeding Intern - Cucurbits Germplasm Development in Woodland, CA. This internship role will introduce you to Vegetable Seeds Development, gaining experience by supporting the Cucurbits breeding team activities. This is a unique learning experience, as the intern will take on several responsibilities across multiple crops.
As part of Syngenta's Emerging Talent Program, you will gain hands-on experience, exposure to day-to-day business operations, and opportunities to apply your academic knowledge to real-world challenges while developing your professional skills.
Duration: Mid-June 2027 - Mid-September 2027
Accountabilities:
- Foster an operational culture founded on adherence to all applicable HSE and other corporate policies, procedures, and guidelines.
- Support the Breeding Team in field-related activities for the evaluation of new experimental hybrids and new inbred lines.
- Implement High-Throughput Phenotyping protocols in Cucurbit programs.
- Implement electronic data collection protocols and procedures; collect, document, and curate data for accuracy and integrity.
- Manage and lead field crew activities during the field evaluation season.
- Assist breeding and market segment teams in collecting data for trait discovery and validation projects.
- Perform other duties as required to meet project needs.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Requires a High School Diploma or equivalent.
- Student must be pursuing a bachelor’s or advanced degree in an applicable discipline (Plant Biology, Plant Breeding, Horticulture, Genetics, Agronomy, or another closely related major is preferred).
- Bilingual (English and Spanish) would be ideal but is not required.
- All applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.
Desired Qualifications:
- Excellent communication skills to work well with co-workers on tasks.
- An independent individual who is self-motivated and needs little supervision.
- The ability to communicate information (written and spoken) is highly desired.
- Detail-/Accuracy-Oriented: All procedures and policies must be understood and followed.
- Excellent computer skills, such as proficiency in Microsoft Office.
- Innovative: Always looking to implement new procedures or technologies to improve work efficiencies.
- Knowledge of plant breeding.
Additional Information
Salary for this position ranges between $20 - $45 hourly.
What We Offer:
- A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members.
- Competitive wages
- Ongoing career development resources
- The opportunity to work on meaningful, innovative projects that solve problems
Syngenta is committed to creating a culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development, and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members.
Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal.
Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
CPT Biotech & Pharma Job Roles in California
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Search Biotech & Pharma Jobs in CaliforniaBiotech & Pharma CPT Sponsorship Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which biotech and pharma companies sponsor F-1 CPT visas in California?
California-based companies with established internship and co-op programs that accommodate F-1 CPT students include Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Amgen, Illumina, Biogen, and Regeneron's California offices. Smaller biotech startups in the Bay Area and San Diego also frequently hire CPT students, particularly for lab research and bioinformatics roles. CPT eligibility ultimately depends on your school's program requirements and DSO authorization, not employer preference alone.
Which cities in California have the most biotech and pharma F-1 CPT sponsorship jobs?
San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area are California's two dominant biotech employment centers. San Diego's Torrey Pines and Sorrento Valley corridors house dozens of biotech firms, while the Bay Area clusters around South San Francisco, Foster City, and Emeryville. Los Angeles is a smaller but growing market, with pharma and medtech activity concentrated around UCLA and USC research parks.
What types of biotech and pharma roles typically qualify for F-1 CPT sponsorship?
Roles that commonly qualify include research associate positions, bioinformatics and computational biology internships, regulatory affairs support roles, quality assurance and quality control internships, and clinical data management positions. The role must be directly tied to your declared degree program for CPT to apply. STEM fields like molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, and data science align most cleanly with CPT eligibility requirements at most universities.
How do I find biotech and pharma F-1 CPT sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate lists biotech and pharma positions in California that are open to F-1 CPT candidates, letting you filter specifically by visa type and industry rather than sorting through general job postings. Given California's concentration of biotech employers, filtering by city (San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles) on Migrate Mate helps narrow results to the clusters where CPT hiring is most active. Always confirm CPT authorization with your DSO before applying.
Are there California-specific considerations for F-1 CPT in biotech and pharma?
California's biotech sector is heavily research-driven, so many CPT positions involve lab work, proprietary data, or biological materials subject to strict confidentiality agreements and export control regulations. Some roles at defense-adjacent life sciences companies may require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, which would exclude F-1 students. Additionally, California's strong university ecosystem means competition for CPT slots at major employers is high, particularly from UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UCSF, and Stanford graduate programs.