Science & Research OPT Jobs in New Jersey
Science and research F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in New Jersey are concentrated across a state that hosts major pharmaceutical campuses in Kenilworth and Rahway, federal research facilities in Princeton, and biotech clusters along the Route 1 corridor. OPT-eligible graduates in life sciences, chemistry, and environmental research find active hiring from employers with established STEM OPT extension track records.
Find Science & Research JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 32+ Science & Research OPT Jobs in New Jersey










See all 32+ Science & Research OPT Jobs in New Jersey
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Science & Research OPT Jobs in New Jersey.
Get Access To All Jobs
Quality Control Bioanalytical Scientist
About Site
Catalent’s Princeton facility is a modern, collaborative environment dedicated to advancing pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. The site focuses on providing innovative solutions for oral and specialty drug products, supporting clients from early development through commercial supply. With state-of-the-art laboratories and technical spaces, the location fosters teamwork and scientific excellence, enabling employees to work on cutting-edge projects that make a real impact on patient health. This dynamic setting offers an engaging workplace where expertise and innovation come together to deliver high-quality solutions for global healthcare needs.
Position Summary
We have an opportunity for a Quality Control Scientist to join our team and support analytical and bio-analytical testing for cell therapy products, raw materials, and critical reagents in a GMP-regulated Quality Control laboratory. This role involves in-process, release, characterization, and stability testing for autologous and allogeneic cell therapy programs. You will generate, review, and interpret data to evaluate critical quality attributes such as identity, purity, potency, and safety. The position also supports method transfer, validation, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement activities, ensuring compliance with specifications and regulatory requirements.
Shift: Monday - Friday 8am-5pm
Location: Princeton, NJ
100% Onsite
The Role
- Perform routine and non-routine Quality Control testing to support cell therapy manufacturing, including in-process, release, characterization, stability, raw material, and investigational testing in accordance with approved methods, SOPs, specifications, and regulatory requirements.
- Execute and support cell therapy analytical methods, including flow cytometry-based identity, phenotype, purity, and characterization assays; ddPCR/qPCR-based molecular assays; ELISA or multiplex immunoassays; automated cell count and viability assays; potency or functional cell-based assays; osmolality; pH/conductivity; and applicable compendial or platform methods.
- Support testing for product-specific and platform critical quality attributes, including viable cell concentration, total cell dose, percent viability, identity marker expression, target cell population purity, residual or impurity-related attributes, potency, and applicable vector- or transgene-related readouts.
- Support method transfer, verification, qualification, and validation activities, including protocol execution, data analysis, discrepancy resolution, acceptance criteria assessment, and report generation.
- Analyze, trend, and interpret assay performance data to evaluate method reliability, sample results, system suitability, control performance, assay validity, and laboratory performance indicators.
- Perform investigations related to analytical deviations, assay failures, invalid runs, out-of-specification or out-of-trend results, and atypical assay trends; support root cause analysis, product impact assessment, corrective and preventive action development, and change control activities.
- Collaborate with Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Process Development, Analytical Development, Regulatory Affairs, and client-facing teams to support product testing, method lifecycle management, technology transfer, manufacturing readiness, and technical issue resolution.
- Support analytical control strategies for cell therapy raw materials, in-process materials, drug substance/intermediate materials, drug product, and final product release testing.
- Review and document test results in compliance with SOPs, approved specifications, regulatory expectations, ALCOA+ data integrity principles, and good documentation practices.
- Support internal and external audits by providing analytical testing data, method documentation, investigation records, qualification/validation evidence, and laboratory compliance documentation.
- Maintain laboratory readiness through reagent management, reference/control material handling, logbook completion, inventory control, equipment cleaning, and other assigned laboratory duties.
The Candidate
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology or related field with 4+ years of relevant experience (Master’s degree preferred), or 10+ years of relevant experience in lieu of degree.
- Hands-on experience with cell therapy analytical methods, including flow cytometry, ddPCR/qPCR, automated cell count and viability, ELISA or multiplex immunoassays, potency or functional cell-based assays, molecular assays, cell culture, and applicable compendial or platform testing.
- Experience with analytical method transfer, verification, qualification, validation, troubleshooting, lifecycle management, and Good Manufacturing Practice implementation in a regulated environment.
- Familiarity with cell therapy Good Manufacturing Practice manufacturing support, aseptic sample handling, chain of custody/chain of identity considerations, stability testing, release testing, and client or regulatory expectations for advanced therapy products.
- Visual acuity requirements: minimum 20/20 vision with or without correction with both eyes using the Graham Field Eye Test Chart from 10 feet; ability to identify colors on the Ishihara Charts of Color Deficiency; if prescription changes during employment, a new visual acuity assessment is required to meet these standards.
Preferred Skills & Background
- Experience supporting testing for cell therapy critical quality attributes such as identity, purity, potency, viability, cell concentration, total cell dose, phenotype, residual impurities, and vector- or transgene-related attributes, as applicable.
- Knowledge of statistical analysis, assay trending, method performance monitoring, and scientific data interpretation.
- Familiarity with quality management systems, deviation/corrective and preventive action processes, change control, continuous improvement, and audit readiness in a regulated Quality Control laboratory.
Pay
The anticipated hourly rate for this position in NJ is $40.86 – $45.67 Plus Bonus. The final hourly rate offered to a successful candidate may vary, and will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to: the type and length of experience within the job, type and length of experience within the industry, skillset, education, business needs, etc. Catalent is a multi-state employer, and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other states.
Why You Should Join Catalent
- Defined career path and annual performance review and feedback process
- Diverse, inclusive culture
- Potential for career growth on an expanding team within an organization dedicated to preserving and bettering lives
- Competitive paid time off plus 8 paid holidays
- Community engagement and green initiatives
- Medical, dental and vision benefits effective day one of employment
- Tuition Reimbursement
Catalent offers rewarding opportunities to further your career! Join the global drug development and delivery leader and help us bring over 7,000 life-saving and life-enhancing products to patients around the world. Catalent is an exciting and growing international company where employees work directly with pharma, biopharma and consumer health companies of all sizes to advance new medicines from early development to clinical trials and to the market. Catalent produces more than 70 billion doses per year, and each one will be used by someone who is counting on us. Join us in making a difference.
personal initiative. dynamic pace. meaningful work.
Visit Catalent Careers to explore career opportunities.
Catalent is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and veterans.
If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may submit your request by sending an email, and confirming your request for an accommodation and include the job number, title and location to DisabilityAccommodations@catalent.com. This option is reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability. Information received will be processed by a U.S. Catalent employee and then routed to a local recruiter who will provide assistance to ensure appropriate consideration in the application or hiring process.
Notice to Agency and Search Firm Representatives: Catalent Pharma Solutions (Catalent) is not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies and/or search firms for this job posting. Resumes submitted to any Catalent employee by a third party agency and/or search firm without a valid written & signed search agreement, will become the sole property of Catalent. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired for this position as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral. Thank you.
Important Security Notice to U.S. Job Seekers:
Catalent NEVER asks candidates to provide any type of payment, bank details, photocopies of identification, social security number or other highly sensitive personal information during the offer process, and we NEVER do so via email or social media. If you receive any such request, DO NOT respond— it is a fraudulent request. Please forward such requests to spam@catalent.com for us to investigate with local authorities.
California Job Seekers can find our California Job Applicant Notice HERE.
Volunteer Work Disclosure: Applicants for employment in Massachusetts may include in their employment history any verified work performed on a volunteer basis.
Massachusetts Lie Detector Test Notice: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law may be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Consistent with Massachusetts law, Catalent does not require or administer lie detector tests as a condition of employment or continued employment.
OPT Science & Research Job Roles in New Jersey
See all 32+ Science & Research OPT Jobs in New Jersey
Sign up for free to filter by visa type, set job alerts, and find employers with verified sponsorship history.
Search Science & Research Jobs in New JerseyScience & Research OPT Sponsorship Jobs in New Jersey: Frequently Asked Questions
Which science and research companies sponsor F-1 OPT visas in New Jersey?
New Jersey's pharmaceutical and biotech sector includes employers such as Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, and Bristol Myers Squibb, all of which have filed Labor Condition Applications for research roles. Federal and federally funded institutions like Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory also hire OPT candidates. Sponsorship patterns vary by role, team, and hiring cycle, so confirming active sponsorship with each employer directly is important before applying.
Which cities in New Jersey have the most science and research F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
The Route 1 corridor linking New Brunswick, Princeton, and Plainsboro concentrates the highest density of research and pharmaceutical employers in the state. Kenilworth and Rahway host major pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D campuses. Newark and Parsippany also have biotech and environmental research employers. For STEM OPT candidates, proximity to these hubs matters because many research roles require on-site lab access and cannot be performed remotely.
What types of science and research roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship in New Jersey?
Roles that qualify for OPT must be directly related to your degree field. In New Jersey's science sector, this commonly includes research associate positions in biochemistry, molecular biology, and pharmacology, as well as environmental scientist, laboratory analyst, and clinical research coordinator roles. Computational biology and data science positions tied to a natural science or engineering degree also qualify. Roles requiring only a general science background without a specific degree match may face authorization challenges.
How do I find science and research F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in New Jersey?
Migrate Mate lets you filter science and research jobs in New Jersey specifically by F-1 OPT eligibility, so results reflect employers with verified sponsorship history rather than general postings. This matters because many pharmaceutical and biotech job listings in New Jersey don't explicitly state OPT sponsorship upfront. Filtering by STEM OPT extension eligibility on Migrate Mate also helps if your degree qualifies, since many research roles in New Jersey's pharma corridor support 24-month extensions.
Are there state-specific considerations for F-1 OPT sponsorship in New Jersey's science sector?
New Jersey's concentration of pharmaceutical and chemical employers means many research roles fall under STEM-designated CIP codes, making 24-month STEM OPT extensions common for eligible graduates. Employers in regulated industries like pharmaceuticals must also comply with E-Verify requirements for STEM OPT extensions. Additionally, some federally funded research facilities in New Jersey, such as national labs, may have security clearance prerequisites that affect OPT eligibility for certain roles, so candidates should confirm requirements before applying.