Research Scientist Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Washington
Washington state is one of the most active markets for research scientist visa sponsorship in the U.S., driven by major employers including Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region concentrate most opportunities, alongside a strong university research pipeline from the University of Washington.
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Amazon's eCommerce Foundation (eCF) organization provides the core technologies that drive and power Amazon's Stores, Digital, and Other (SDO) businesses. Millions of customer page views and orders per day are enabled by the systems eCF builds from the ground up. CloudTune, within eCF, empowers growth and business agility needs by automatically and efficiently managing AWS capacity and business processes needed to safely meet Amazon's customer demand. CloudTune serves its primary customers, internal software teams, through forecast-driven automation of cost controllership, capacity management, and scaling. We predict expected load, and drive procurement and allocation of AWS capacity for new product launches and high-velocity events like Prime Day and Cyber Monday.
CloudTune is looking for a Research Scientist to join our forecasting and optimization team. The team develops sophisticated algorithms that combine machine learning-based demand forecasting with mathematical optimization to solve large-scale capacity planning problems under uncertainty. We work with massive datasets — spanning thousands of availability zone and instance family combinations across global regions — to determine optimal resource allocation strategies that balance infrastructure holding costs against service availability requirements. These models directly inform multi-million dollar capacity investment decisions and drive automated procurement, retention, and release policies across Amazon's compute infrastructure.
As a Research Scientist in CloudTune, you will work with other scientists, software engineers, data engineers, and product managers on a variety of important research problems in the areas of stochastic optimization, time series modeling, and operations research. You will formulate capacity planning challenges as constrained optimization problems, develop demand forecasting models that account for asymmetric risk, and design allocation frameworks that minimize costs while maintaining fulfillment guarantees. You will analyze and process large amounts of data, develop new algorithms and improve existing approaches based on statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and big data solutions to automatically scale Amazon's compute infrastructure, optimizing the balance between availability risk and cost efficiency for all of Amazon's businesses.
Key job responsibilities
- Formulate capacity planning and resource allocation challenges as mathematical optimization problems (linear programming, stochastic optimization, mixed-integer programming)
- Develop demand forecasting models using machine learning (XGBoost, quantile regression, deep learning) with risk-aware loss functions tailored to operational objectives
- Design and implement safety stock and retention policy optimization frameworks that balance holding costs against fulfillment risk across constrained and unconstrained capacity pools
- Process and analyze large-scale operational data (order histories, capacity utilization, availability constraints) to identify patterns and inform model development
- Create, enhance, and maintain technical documentation, and present research findings to scientists, engineering teams, and senior leadership
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in a quantitative field, or MS degree and 1+ years of quantitative field research experience
- Experience investigating the feasibility of applying scientific principles and concepts to business problems and products
- Experience with data analysis package (R, SAS, Matlab, etc.)
- Experience using SQL databases to manage and analyze large data sets
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in operations research, applied mathematics, theoretical computer science, or equivalent
- Experience applying forecasting and data mining techniques
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: 125,500.00 - 169,800.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
Amazon's eCommerce Foundation (eCF) organization provides the core technologies that drive and power Amazon's Stores, Digital, and Other (SDO) businesses. Millions of customer page views and orders per day are enabled by the systems eCF builds from the ground up. CloudTune, within eCF, empowers growth and business agility needs by automatically and efficiently managing AWS capacity and business processes needed to safely meet Amazon's customer demand. CloudTune serves its primary customers, internal software teams, through forecast-driven automation of cost controllership, capacity management, and scaling. We predict expected load, and drive procurement and allocation of AWS capacity for new product launches and high-velocity events like Prime Day and Cyber Monday.
CloudTune is looking for a Research Scientist to join our forecasting and optimization team. The team develops sophisticated algorithms that combine machine learning-based demand forecasting with mathematical optimization to solve large-scale capacity planning problems under uncertainty. We work with massive datasets — spanning thousands of availability zone and instance family combinations across global regions — to determine optimal resource allocation strategies that balance infrastructure holding costs against service availability requirements. These models directly inform multi-million dollar capacity investment decisions and drive automated procurement, retention, and release policies across Amazon's compute infrastructure.
As a Research Scientist in CloudTune, you will work with other scientists, software engineers, data engineers, and product managers on a variety of important research problems in the areas of stochastic optimization, time series modeling, and operations research. You will formulate capacity planning challenges as constrained optimization problems, develop demand forecasting models that account for asymmetric risk, and design allocation frameworks that minimize costs while maintaining fulfillment guarantees. You will analyze and process large amounts of data, develop new algorithms and improve existing approaches based on statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and big data solutions to automatically scale Amazon's compute infrastructure, optimizing the balance between availability risk and cost efficiency for all of Amazon's businesses.
Key job responsibilities
- Formulate capacity planning and resource allocation challenges as mathematical optimization problems (linear programming, stochastic optimization, mixed-integer programming)
- Develop demand forecasting models using machine learning (XGBoost, quantile regression, deep learning) with risk-aware loss functions tailored to operational objectives
- Design and implement safety stock and retention policy optimization frameworks that balance holding costs against fulfillment risk across constrained and unconstrained capacity pools
- Process and analyze large-scale operational data (order histories, capacity utilization, availability constraints) to identify patterns and inform model development
- Create, enhance, and maintain technical documentation, and present research findings to scientists, engineering teams, and senior leadership
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in a quantitative field, or MS degree and 1+ years of quantitative field research experience
- Experience investigating the feasibility of applying scientific principles and concepts to business problems and products
- Experience with data analysis package (R, SAS, Matlab, etc.)
- Experience using SQL databases to manage and analyze large data sets
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in operations research, applied mathematics, theoretical computer science, or equivalent
- Experience applying forecasting and data mining techniques
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: 125,500.00 - 169,800.00 USD annually
Research Scientist Job Roles in Washington
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Search Research Scientist Jobs in WashingtonResearch Scientist Jobs in Washington: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for research scientists in Washington?
Washington has a high concentration of employers with established visa sponsorship programs for research scientists. Microsoft and Amazon sponsor research scientists across machine learning, cloud computing, and AI disciplines at their Redmond and Seattle campuses. Boeing sponsors research roles in aerospace engineering and materials science. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle Children's Research Institute, and the Allen Institute regularly sponsor biomedical and computational research scientists.
Which visa types are most common for research scientist roles in Washington?
The H-1B visa is the most common visa for research scientists in Washington, as most roles require a master's or doctoral degree in a specific scientific field, meeting the specialty occupation standard. Researchers with exceptional recognition in their field may qualify for the O-1A. University and nonprofit research institute positions can sometimes access cap-exempt H-1B filings, meaning the annual lottery does not apply.
Which cities in Washington have the most research scientist sponsorship jobs?
Seattle and Redmond account for the large majority of research scientist sponsorship activity in Washington. Seattle hosts biomedical employers including Fred Hutchinson, the Allen Institute, and University of Washington Medical Center, as well as Amazon's research divisions. Redmond is the center of Microsoft's research and AI science teams. Bothell and Renton have smaller but growing concentrations in biotech and aerospace research.
How to find research scientist visa sponsorship jobs in Washington?
Migrate Mate filters research scientist jobs in Washington specifically to employers with active visa sponsorship, which removes the guesswork of identifying which postings are open to international candidates. You can browse by role and state to find current openings at companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Seattle-area research institutes. This is especially useful if you're on OPT or between visa statuses and need to move quickly.
Are there any Washington-specific factors research scientists should know about for visa sponsorship?
Washington has no state income tax, which affects how prevailing wage calculations compare to offer packages elsewhere, though the Department of Labor sets prevailing wages based on the specific job title and metro area regardless. The University of Washington produces a significant pipeline of international PhD graduates who transition into industry research roles in the state, making Seattle a particularly active market for OPT-to-H-1B sponsorship in scientific disciplines.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored research scientist jobs in Washington?
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.