Machine Learning Research Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
California is one of the most active states for machine learning research hiring, with major employers including Google, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, plus research-driven companies in Los Angeles and San Diego. The state's university pipeline from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UCLA feeds a competitive but well-established visa sponsorship ecosystem.
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Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Researcher
General Summary:
Qualcomm AI Research is looking for world-class researchers in artificial intelligence to join our team. Members of our global team form a multi-disciplinary core research group within Qualcomm which spans software, hardware, and systems, and we contribute technology deployed worldwide by partnering with our business teams across mobile, compute, automotive, cloud, and IOT. We also perform and publish state-of-the-art research on a wide range of topics in artificial intelligence, ranging from general theory to techniques that enable deployment on resource-constrained devices. We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI across Generative AI, LLM and Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, Agentic AI, and Autonomy, with a strong emphasis on efficient on-device intelligence. Please see our AI focus page at https://qualcomm.com/ai for more details.
Position Summary:
Ideal candidates will have a strong publication record in top-tier AI/ML conferences and deep expertise in generative AI, including Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Efficient Architectures, LLM Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, Agentic AI, and Autonomy. You will lead and contribute to high-impact research initiatives, collaborate with global teams, and help transition cutting-edge models into real-world applications. Senior-level candidates are expected to demonstrate research leadership, mentor junior researchers and interns, and drive innovation aligned with Qualcomm’s strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct cutting-edge research in efficient generative AI: LLMs and Multi-Modal Foundation Models, LLM Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, Agentic AI and others.
- Provide technical leadership in research and applied projects and guide research directions to best support company objectives.
- Mentor interns, junior researchers and engineers, fostering collaboration, growth and excellence in a dynamic R&D environment.
- Lead efforts in transitioning research into production-ready solutions, enabling real-world applications and commercial impact.
- Develop creative solutions with consideration of practical challenges on devices.
- Implementation and evaluation of possible solutions in both simulation and on-device environments.
- Contribute to Qualcomm’s strategic initiatives in efficient AI and embedded intelligence.
- Publish in top-tier conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ACL, EMNLP).
Required Qualifications:
- Proven research excellence demonstrated by publications in top-tier AI/ML conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ACL, EMNLP).
- Deep expertise in Generative AI, LLMs, Multi-Modal Foundation models, LLM Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, and Agentic AI.
- Hands-on experience with model development pipelines, including training, fine-tuning, evaluation, and optimization.
Preferred Qualifications:
- PhD with 4+ years in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields or MS with 8+ years of AI research, or related work experience.
- Experience in LLM efficiency research such as efficient attention, inference acceleration, or KV cache compression.
- Experience in on-device AI deployment on mobile or edge devices.
- Familiar with model optimization techniques such as quantization and distillation.
Why Join Us:
- Be part of a globally recognized AI research organization.
- Work on impactful projects with real-world deployment.
- Collaborate with top researchers across Qualcomm’s global network.
- Thrive in an inclusive, innovation-driven environment.
- Enjoy competitive compensation and career development opportunities.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
- PhD in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
- 6+ months of experience developing and/or optimizing machine learning models, systems, platforms, or methods.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities.
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies: Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:
$179,000.00 - $268,600.00
The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.

Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Researcher
General Summary:
Qualcomm AI Research is looking for world-class researchers in artificial intelligence to join our team. Members of our global team form a multi-disciplinary core research group within Qualcomm which spans software, hardware, and systems, and we contribute technology deployed worldwide by partnering with our business teams across mobile, compute, automotive, cloud, and IOT. We also perform and publish state-of-the-art research on a wide range of topics in artificial intelligence, ranging from general theory to techniques that enable deployment on resource-constrained devices. We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI across Generative AI, LLM and Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, Agentic AI, and Autonomy, with a strong emphasis on efficient on-device intelligence. Please see our AI focus page at https://qualcomm.com/ai for more details.
Position Summary:
Ideal candidates will have a strong publication record in top-tier AI/ML conferences and deep expertise in generative AI, including Multi-Modal Foundation Models, Efficient Architectures, LLM Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, Agentic AI, and Autonomy. You will lead and contribute to high-impact research initiatives, collaborate with global teams, and help transition cutting-edge models into real-world applications. Senior-level candidates are expected to demonstrate research leadership, mentor junior researchers and interns, and drive innovation aligned with Qualcomm’s strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct cutting-edge research in efficient generative AI: LLMs and Multi-Modal Foundation Models, LLM Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, Agentic AI and others.
- Provide technical leadership in research and applied projects and guide research directions to best support company objectives.
- Mentor interns, junior researchers and engineers, fostering collaboration, growth and excellence in a dynamic R&D environment.
- Lead efforts in transitioning research into production-ready solutions, enabling real-world applications and commercial impact.
- Develop creative solutions with consideration of practical challenges on devices.
- Implementation and evaluation of possible solutions in both simulation and on-device environments.
- Contribute to Qualcomm’s strategic initiatives in efficient AI and embedded intelligence.
- Publish in top-tier conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ACL, EMNLP).
Required Qualifications:
- Proven research excellence demonstrated by publications in top-tier AI/ML conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ACL, EMNLP).
- Deep expertise in Generative AI, LLMs, Multi-Modal Foundation models, LLM Reasoning, Reinforcement Learning, and Agentic AI.
- Hands-on experience with model development pipelines, including training, fine-tuning, evaluation, and optimization.
Preferred Qualifications:
- PhD with 4+ years in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields or MS with 8+ years of AI research, or related work experience.
- Experience in LLM efficiency research such as efficient attention, inference acceleration, or KV cache compression.
- Experience in on-device AI deployment on mobile or edge devices.
- Familiar with model optimization techniques such as quantization and distillation.
Why Join Us:
- Be part of a globally recognized AI research organization.
- Work on impactful projects with real-world deployment.
- Collaborate with top researchers across Qualcomm’s global network.
- Thrive in an inclusive, innovation-driven environment.
- Enjoy competitive compensation and career development opportunities.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
- PhD in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
- 6+ months of experience developing and/or optimizing machine learning models, systems, platforms, or methods.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities.
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies: Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:
$179,000.00 - $268,600.00
The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.
Machine Learning Research Job Roles in California
See all 320+ Machine Learning Research Jobs in California
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Search Machine Learning Research Jobs in CaliforniaMachine Learning Research Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for machine learning researchers in California?
Large technology companies with significant California research operations, including Google DeepMind, Meta AI, Apple, Microsoft, and OpenAI, have established track records of sponsoring work visas for machine learning researchers. Semiconductor firms like NVIDIA and Qualcomm also sponsor regularly. Sponsorship patterns are publicly verifiable through Department of Labor Labor Condition Application disclosure data.
Which visa types are most common for machine learning research roles in California?
The H-1B is the most common visa for machine learning research positions in California, given that the role typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, statistics, or a related field. Researchers with exceptional recognition may qualify for the O-1A. Australians may use the E-3, and Canadians and Mexicans may qualify under the TN visa category.
Which cities in California have the most machine learning research sponsorship jobs?
The San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose, Mountain View, Menlo Park, and San Francisco itself, concentrates the largest share of machine learning research sponsorship activity in California. Los Angeles has a growing cluster around entertainment technology and autonomous systems companies. San Diego has notable activity tied to biotech, defense research, and Qualcomm's AI division.
How to find machine learning research visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international job seekers and filters machine learning research roles in California by employers with active visa sponsorship history. Rather than sifting through general job postings, you can search directly for California-based machine learning research positions where sponsorship is confirmed, which is especially useful if you're on OPT, an H-1B, or another time-sensitive status.
Are there any California-specific considerations for machine learning research visa sponsorship?
California's high concentration of H-1B-dependent employers means some companies must meet additional recruitment attestations under Department of Labor rules. The state's university pipeline, particularly from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, creates strong competition for research roles. Prevailing wage levels in Bay Area metro areas are among the highest in the country for machine learning research positions, which affects the minimum wage an employer must pay on an H-1B petition.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored machine learning research jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.
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