Computational Biologist Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Computational biologist roles qualify as specialty occupations under H-1B visa, requiring a bachelor's degree or higher in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a closely related field. Employers in pharma, biotech, and academia actively file Labor Condition Applications for these positions, making visa sponsorship a realistic path for qualified candidates.
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Get Access To All JobsJob Ref:
JR-9216
Location:
450 Brookline Ave, BOSTON, MA 02215
Category:
IT/Informatics
Employment Type:
Full time
Work Location:
Onsite: occasional remote
Salary/Pay Rate:
$75,000.00 - $91,500.00 per year
Overview
A COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGIST position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Yana Pikman at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Our research focuses on the application of clinical genomics for development of targeted therapy approaches for acute leukemia, drug testing and combination screening with the ultimate goals of 1) improving understanding of leukemia biology and 2) translating bench discovery to clinical care. We are also interested in studies of resistance to existing and emerging cancer therapies, and using data from leukemia models to inform mechanisms of resistance that can be further tested in the lab. You will join a team of investigators leading these efforts in the academic environment, work on the analysis of new and existing genomic datasets to advance efforts in identifying pediatric leukemia dependencies and informing leukemia drug sensitivity and resistance. You will collaborate closely with scientists as well as clinical researchers. You will play an essential, and possibly leading, role in project-focused work.
The qualified candidate will carry out data analysis, develop and support data processing and analysis tools, create new algorithms for emerging clinically focused needs with an emphasis on bulk and single cell tumor analysis including Whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing analysis of leukemia samples, maintain datasets and databases, and facilitate the display and the distribution of processed data.
We are looking for candidates with a minimum of two years of availability. Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
MINIMUM JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum Education:
Bachelor's degree required in a STEM field. Master’s degree preferred in bioinformatics, computational biology, statistics, biostatistics, computer science and/or the life sciences.
Minimum Experience:
1 year with Bachelor’s degree or 0 years with Master’s degree; academic research experience or authorship in scientific publications experience may substitute for work experience.
PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Data Processing: Uses existing tools to build data processing pipelines to convert raw data into formats compatible with conventional statistical analysis and visualization.
- Data Analysis: Performs routine analysis for which established tools exist and are considered reliable. Keep up with the computational biology literature to assure pipelines components are up to date.
- Data and Software Management: Monitors, downloads, organize, and manages data from public data repositories or generated by collaborates. Evaluates published tools and updates pipeline as necessary.
- Manuscript Preparation: Drafts the computational biology sections of a manuscript; assists in writing the results section; checks manuscripts for numerical accuracy; prepares tables and figures.
- Grant Preparation: Helps to formulate specific aims, explains options for experimental design, and develops data analysis plans.
- Research Portfolio Management: Develops timelines and components for multiple routine projects; masters multi-tasking so that complex projects involving many interdisciplinary individuals move forward smoothly.
Team Interactions: Offers peer-to-peer training in design, analysis, and presentation of results. It is expected that insight into career growth will be offered to more junior computational biologists.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
- Computational Skills: Significant experience in computer programming and computational biological applications (experience in R and/or Python, as well as cloud computing).
- Data Analysis Skills: Familiarity with principles of experimental design and the modern data analysis paradigms is required. A strong background in statistics and biology is required.
- Collaboration: Able to discuss and present results, share ideas accurately and communicate them effectively, both in writing and verbally.
- Strong Interpersonal Skills: ability to effectively interact with all levels of staff and external contacts.
- Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills.
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
EEO Poster
Pay Transparency Statement
The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.
For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
$75,000.00 - $91,500.00
Job Ref:
JR-9216
Location:
450 Brookline Ave, BOSTON, MA 02215
Category:
IT/Informatics
Employment Type:
Full time
Work Location:
Onsite: occasional remote
Salary/Pay Rate:
$75,000.00 - $91,500.00 per year
Overview
A COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGIST position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Yana Pikman at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Our research focuses on the application of clinical genomics for development of targeted therapy approaches for acute leukemia, drug testing and combination screening with the ultimate goals of 1) improving understanding of leukemia biology and 2) translating bench discovery to clinical care. We are also interested in studies of resistance to existing and emerging cancer therapies, and using data from leukemia models to inform mechanisms of resistance that can be further tested in the lab. You will join a team of investigators leading these efforts in the academic environment, work on the analysis of new and existing genomic datasets to advance efforts in identifying pediatric leukemia dependencies and informing leukemia drug sensitivity and resistance. You will collaborate closely with scientists as well as clinical researchers. You will play an essential, and possibly leading, role in project-focused work.
The qualified candidate will carry out data analysis, develop and support data processing and analysis tools, create new algorithms for emerging clinically focused needs with an emphasis on bulk and single cell tumor analysis including Whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing analysis of leukemia samples, maintain datasets and databases, and facilitate the display and the distribution of processed data.
We are looking for candidates with a minimum of two years of availability. Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
MINIMUM JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum Education:
Bachelor's degree required in a STEM field. Master’s degree preferred in bioinformatics, computational biology, statistics, biostatistics, computer science and/or the life sciences.
Minimum Experience:
1 year with Bachelor’s degree or 0 years with Master’s degree; academic research experience or authorship in scientific publications experience may substitute for work experience.
PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Data Processing: Uses existing tools to build data processing pipelines to convert raw data into formats compatible with conventional statistical analysis and visualization.
- Data Analysis: Performs routine analysis for which established tools exist and are considered reliable. Keep up with the computational biology literature to assure pipelines components are up to date.
- Data and Software Management: Monitors, downloads, organize, and manages data from public data repositories or generated by collaborates. Evaluates published tools and updates pipeline as necessary.
- Manuscript Preparation: Drafts the computational biology sections of a manuscript; assists in writing the results section; checks manuscripts for numerical accuracy; prepares tables and figures.
- Grant Preparation: Helps to formulate specific aims, explains options for experimental design, and develops data analysis plans.
- Research Portfolio Management: Develops timelines and components for multiple routine projects; masters multi-tasking so that complex projects involving many interdisciplinary individuals move forward smoothly.
Team Interactions: Offers peer-to-peer training in design, analysis, and presentation of results. It is expected that insight into career growth will be offered to more junior computational biologists.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
- Computational Skills: Significant experience in computer programming and computational biological applications (experience in R and/or Python, as well as cloud computing).
- Data Analysis Skills: Familiarity with principles of experimental design and the modern data analysis paradigms is required. A strong background in statistics and biology is required.
- Collaboration: Able to discuss and present results, share ideas accurately and communicate them effectively, both in writing and verbally.
- Strong Interpersonal Skills: ability to effectively interact with all levels of staff and external contacts.
- Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills.
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
EEO Poster
Pay Transparency Statement
The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.
For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
$75,000.00 - $91,500.00
See all Computational Biologist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Computational Biologist roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Computational Biologist Jobs
Frame your degree field precisely
USCIS scrutinizes whether your degree directly relates to the role. A bioinformatics or computational biology degree is a clean match. A general biology or computer science degree needs supporting evidence showing your coursework and research align with the specific job duties.
Target biotech and pharma pipeline teams
Drug discovery, genomics, and precision medicine teams inside mid-to-large biotech and pharmaceutical companies file LCAs for computational biologist roles consistently. These employers have established immigration infrastructure and are more likely to move quickly through the sponsorship process.
Verify prevailing wage before negotiating
Your employer must pay at least the DOL prevailing wage for your role and location. Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the Level I through Level IV wage tiers for your metro area before accepting an offer, so there are no surprises at the LCA stage.
Use Migrate Mate to find verified sponsors
Search Migrate Mate to browse computational biologist roles at employers with confirmed LCA filing history. This surfaces companies that have already navigated H-1B sponsorship for this occupation, cutting out the guesswork of cold-applying to employers unfamiliar with the process.
Get your publications and code portfolio documented
Employers filing an H-1B for a computational biologist role may face a Request for Evidence if the specialty occupation connection isn't airtight. A portfolio showing peer-reviewed publications, GitHub repositories, or pipeline tools you've built strengthens the petition and reduces RFE risk.
Confirm the LCA is certified before your start date
Your employer must file the LCA with DOL and receive certification before submitting the I-129 petition to USCIS. Standard LCA certification typically takes seven business days. Build this into your timeline so your start date doesn't fall before the petition can legally be filed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a computational biologist role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B?
Yes. Computational biology is a recognized specialty occupation because the role typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, biostatistics, or a closely related field. USCIS evaluates the degree-to-job relationship closely, so your employer's job description should reference specific technical requirements like statistical modeling, genomic data analysis, or algorithm development to support the petition.
Which visa types are available to international computational biologists seeking U.S. jobs?
H-1B is the primary path for most nationalities. Australian citizens can use the E-3 visa, which has a separate annual cap and no lottery. Canadian and Mexican nationals may qualify under TN visa if the role fits the USMCA profession list. F-1 graduates can work on OPT or STEM OPT, since computational biology degrees from STEM-designated programs typically qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension.
Is a Ph.D. required, or will a master's degree support sponsorship?
A master's degree in a directly related field is generally sufficient to meet the specialty occupation threshold. Many employers in industry, particularly in biotech and pharma, sponsor H-1B petitions for master's-level computational biologists. A Ph.D. strengthens petitions in academic or research-intensive roles and also makes you eligible for the H-1B advanced degree cap, which offers an additional 20,000 slots annually.
How do I find computational biologist jobs where the employer already sponsors visas?
Browse computational biologist roles on Migrate Mate, which lists employers with verified LCA filing history for this occupation. This means you're only seeing companies that have already sponsored H-1B or E-3 visa workers in similar roles, so you're not wasting time applying to employers who've never navigated the sponsorship process.
Can I switch employers while on H-1B as a computational biologist?
Yes. Under H-1B portability rules, you can start working for a new employer once they file a new I-129 petition on your behalf, as long as you're currently in valid H-1B status. You don't have to wait for the new petition to be approved before starting. The new employer still needs to file a fresh LCA with DOL and an I-129 with USCIS before your first day.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Computational Biologist jobs?
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.