Research Assistant Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Washington DC
Washington DC is one of the most active markets for research assistant visa sponsorship in the country, driven by federal agencies, think tanks, universities, and international organizations. Institutions like Georgetown University, George Washington University, the Brookings Institution, and the National Institutes of Health regularly hire research assistants and have established visa sponsorship infrastructure.
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Work Where You Learn: Build Experience, Grow Skills, and Contribute to Your University Community.
This position is available only to enrolled American University students.
Most student positions at American University are eligible to use Federal Work Study (FWS) awards, with a few exceptions. FWS funds cannot be applied to janitorial, construction, partisan or sectarian positions. For information or questions regarding FWS funds, please contact American University's Office of Financial Aid.
Important guidance for current American University employees: American University current employees, including those employed in student positions, must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into your employee Workday account and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings. Applying outside of your employee Workday account may cause delays in a hire process.
Department: College of Arts & Sciences
Time Type: Part time
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Job Description:
Summary
The Summer Research Assistant (RA) position will support a research project on continual lifelong anomaly detection in high-stakes environments, with a focus on extending the pyCLAD library to video and graph modalities. Once implementation is complete, the student will help with literature review, dataset preparation, implementation of machine learning experiments, evaluation of anomaly detection models, and documentation of results. The project is especially relevant to applications where rare, evolving, or unexpected events must be detected reliably over time, such as cybersecurity, surveillance, infrastructure monitoring, healthcare, and scientific data analysis.
Essential Functions:
- Help with literature review.
- Dataset preparation.
- Implementation of machine learning experiments.
- Evaluation of anomaly detection models.
- Documentation of results.
- Other duties assigned.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
- Part-time.
- 5 hours per week.
Salary Range:
- $18.40 per hour.
Required Education and Experience:
The position is suitable for students with experience in machine learning, data mining, continual learning, and anomaly detection. Experience with Python and familiarity with PyTorch is required.
Other Details
This position is available only to enrolled American University students. Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. American University is an E-Verify employer. Visit https://www.american.edu/hr/ for additional information about American University employment and benefits.
Current American University Employees
American University current employees (including those employed in student positions) must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.
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For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email theworkline@american.edu.
American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.
Research Assistant Job Roles in Washington DC
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Search Research Assistant Jobs in Washington DCResearch Assistant Jobs in Washington DC: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies and institutions sponsor visas for research assistants in Washington DC?
Federal contractors, universities, and policy research organizations are the most active sponsors in DC. Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, the Brookings Institution, the Urban Institute, and the Pew Research Center have all sponsored research assistant roles. Federal agencies themselves generally cannot directly sponsor work visas, but affiliated research centers and contracted organizations routinely do.
Which visa types are most common for research assistant roles in Washington DC?
The H-1B visa is the most common visa for research assistants holding a relevant bachelor's or advanced degree, as most positions qualify as specialty occupations in fields like economics, political science, public health, or data science. J-1 visas are also widely used in DC, particularly for research roles at universities and think tanks. Candidates with eligible nationalities may also qualify for the TN visa or E-3 visa.
How to find research assistant visa sponsorship jobs in Washington DC?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for visa sponsorship eligibility, making it straightforward to identify research assistant openings in Washington DC without sorting through roles that don't sponsor. You can filter by location and role type to surface positions at DC-area universities, think tanks, and research organizations that have an established history of supporting international candidates through the sponsorship process.
Which areas of Washington DC have the most research assistant sponsorship opportunities?
Most research assistant sponsorship activity is concentrated in a few clusters: the Georgetown and Foggy Bottom corridors near the major universities, the Dupont Circle and downtown DC area where think tanks and policy institutes are headquartered, and the broader National Mall corridor near federal research institutions. The nearby suburbs of Bethesda and Silver Spring in Maryland, home to the National Institutes of Health and related biomedical organizations, also generate significant research assistant hiring.
Are there any DC-specific considerations for research assistants seeking visa sponsorship?
Washington DC's research sector is heavily influenced by federal funding cycles, which can affect hiring timelines at contractor and affiliated research organizations. Many research assistant roles in DC require or strongly prefer candidates with security clearance eligibility, which can complicate sponsorship for international applicants. University-affiliated positions often move through institutional HR processes that are more experienced with visa sponsorship paperwork than smaller nonprofits or startups in the area.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored research assistant jobs in Washington DC?
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.