Science & Research Jobs in California with F-1 CPT Sponsorship
California is one of the strongest states for science and research F-1 CPT roles, with major employers at biotech hubs in San Diego and San Francisco, national laboratories like Lawrence Berkeley and SLAC, and university-affiliated research centers throughout the state actively hiring students on curricular practical training for lab, computational, and field research positions.
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INTRODUCTION
Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) is seeking a self-motivated PhD Student to join our Intelligent Robotics Research Division. The intern will contribute to the development of core simulation technologies for robotics-related simulation. Example areas include complex physical phenomena (e.g., fracture and cracking), advanced rendering problems (e.g, multilayer translucent materials), and gradient-based optimization of nonlinear dynamical systems in large state spaces (e.g., system identification, control optimization).
LOCATION
San Jose, CA
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop core simulation technology for robotics applications with strong grounding in the underlying physics and mathematics.
- Formulate research hypotheses, design experiments, and evaluate results.
- Identify and address numerical issues that arise in simulation and optimization, including ill-conditioning and solver instability.
- Contribute to the portfolio of patents, and publish research results when applicable at top-tier conferences and journals.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in computer science, computer graphics, robotics, or related fields.
- Minimum of 1-year research experience relevant to the position (e.g., physics simulation, material rendering, optimization).
- Strong background in physics and mathematics (especially calculus and linear algebra).
- Programming skills including sufficient technical depth to critically evaluate and validate outputs from AI-assisted coding or research tools if used.
BONUS QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience or understanding of simulation methods involving contact barriers.
- Experience or understanding of robot dynamics, PD controllers, and real-world hardware (e.g., gears, joint friction).
- Experience or understanding of implicit time-integration methods for dynamics, Newton-based solvers, ill-conditioning in numerical solves.
- Experience or understanding of contact-rich manipulation.
- Experience or understanding of physically based rendering, appearance modeling, differentiable rendering, or complex material modeling.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
Experience using existing robot simulation frameworks is NOT required and by itself is not sufficient. We are particularly interested in candidates who can reason about and develop the underlying simulation methods, numerical algorithms, and physical models.
YEARS OF WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 0
DESIRED START DATE 9/14/2026
INTERNSHIP DURATION 3 Months
POSITION KEYWORDS Physics Simulation, Rendering, Nonlinear Dynamics, Robot Dynamics
WARNING: You do not have the permission to access the upload fields on this form. Contact the form owner or portal administrator to request the access.

INTRODUCTION
Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) is seeking a self-motivated PhD Student to join our Intelligent Robotics Research Division. The intern will contribute to the development of core simulation technologies for robotics-related simulation. Example areas include complex physical phenomena (e.g., fracture and cracking), advanced rendering problems (e.g, multilayer translucent materials), and gradient-based optimization of nonlinear dynamical systems in large state spaces (e.g., system identification, control optimization).
LOCATION
San Jose, CA
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop core simulation technology for robotics applications with strong grounding in the underlying physics and mathematics.
- Formulate research hypotheses, design experiments, and evaluate results.
- Identify and address numerical issues that arise in simulation and optimization, including ill-conditioning and solver instability.
- Contribute to the portfolio of patents, and publish research results when applicable at top-tier conferences and journals.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in computer science, computer graphics, robotics, or related fields.
- Minimum of 1-year research experience relevant to the position (e.g., physics simulation, material rendering, optimization).
- Strong background in physics and mathematics (especially calculus and linear algebra).
- Programming skills including sufficient technical depth to critically evaluate and validate outputs from AI-assisted coding or research tools if used.
BONUS QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience or understanding of simulation methods involving contact barriers.
- Experience or understanding of robot dynamics, PD controllers, and real-world hardware (e.g., gears, joint friction).
- Experience or understanding of implicit time-integration methods for dynamics, Newton-based solvers, ill-conditioning in numerical solves.
- Experience or understanding of contact-rich manipulation.
- Experience or understanding of physically based rendering, appearance modeling, differentiable rendering, or complex material modeling.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
Experience using existing robot simulation frameworks is NOT required and by itself is not sufficient. We are particularly interested in candidates who can reason about and develop the underlying simulation methods, numerical algorithms, and physical models.
YEARS OF WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 0
DESIRED START DATE 9/14/2026
INTERNSHIP DURATION 3 Months
POSITION KEYWORDS Physics Simulation, Rendering, Nonlinear Dynamics, Robot Dynamics
WARNING: You do not have the permission to access the upload fields on this form. Contact the form owner or portal administrator to request the access.
Job Roles in Science & Research in California
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Which science and research companies sponsor F-1 CPT visas in California?
California's biotech and research sector includes organizations that regularly bring on F-1 CPT students, including Genentech, Illumina, Gilead Sciences, and the Salk Institute in San Diego, as well as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. National labs such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore also host CPT students through formal internship programs tied to university partnerships.
Which cities in California have the most science and research F-1 CPT sponsorship jobs?
San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area lead for life sciences and biotech CPT placements. San Diego's Torrey Pines area concentrates pharmaceutical and genomics employers, while the Bay Area spans biotech in South San Francisco and computational biology roles near UC Berkeley and Stanford. Los Angeles adds opportunities in aerospace research, environmental science, and university-based labs at UCLA and Caltech.
What types of science and research roles typically qualify for F-1 CPT sponsorship?
Roles that directly apply coursework from a science or research degree program are eligible for CPT authorization. Common qualifying positions include research assistant, lab technician, bioinformatics analyst, environmental scientist intern, computational researcher, and data scientist in a research setting. The position must be integral to the student's degree program and authorized by their designated school official before work begins.
How do I find science & research F-1 CPT sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate is designed specifically for international students searching for CPT-eligible roles, with filters for visa type, industry, and state. For science and research jobs in California, you can narrow results to biotech, environmental science, and lab research positions at California-based employers with documented CPT sponsorship experience, saving time compared to filtering through general job boards that don't surface visa sponsorship details.
Are there any California-specific considerations for F-1 CPT in science and research?
California's dense concentration of UC and CSU campuses means many employers near those institutions have established CPT onboarding processes. Students should confirm their university has a formal agreement or history with a given employer, since CPT must be tied to an offer that fits the academic program. California's competitive research hiring also means applications often require research proposals or writing samples, so preparation lead time matters.
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