Cap-exempt research and postdoc jobs
Employers that appear cap-exempt can file an H-1B petition at any time of year, outside the annual lottery. This page gathers the research and postdoc side of the register: postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, research associates and laboratory staff. Research positions are the largest single group of H-1B filings by universities, academic medical centers and nonprofit research institutes.
Live research and postdoc openings
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All research and postdoc openings in the jobs search. An opening is placed in this group by keywords in its title, so some are misfiled; every posting belongs to its employer and links to the original.
Employers that file for these roles
DOL FY2025 certified LCAsIn the Department of Labor’s FY2025 disclosure data, 302 employers of the 1,041 in the register filed 12,169 certified Labor Condition Applications for occupations in this group. A filing shows that an employer has sponsored this kind of role; it does not mean a current opening comes with sponsorship. Ask the employer.
| Employer · main occupations filed | LCAs |
|---|---|
| The Leland Stanford Jr UniversityStanford, CA · Biochemists and Biophysicists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 418 |
| Washington University in St. LouisSaint Louis, MO · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Bioinformatics Scientists | 326 |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 301 |
| University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 292 |
| UT Southwestern Medical CenterDallas, TX · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 287 |
| Teachers College, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 271 |
| University of California San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · Biochemists and Biophysicists · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 258 |
| University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Biochemists and Biophysicists | 254 |
| Mayo ClinicRochester, MN · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Biological Technicians | 235 |
| The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, TX · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Biochemists and Biophysicists | 224 |
| National Institutes of Health HHSBethesda, MD · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 220 |
| University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · Physicists · Biochemists and Biophysicists | 218 |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Biological Technicians | 215 |
| Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 213 |
| Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 212 |
| Baylor College of MedicineHouston, TX · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Biochemists and Biophysicists | 211 |
| University of California San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · Biochemists and Biophysicists · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 211 |
| Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Chemists | 207 |
| Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Biological Scientists, All Other · Biochemists and Biophysicists | 183 |
| The Trustees of Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Physicists · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 170 |
| Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Biochemists and Biophysicists · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 160 |
| Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteBoston, MA · Molecular and Cellular Biologists · Bioinformatics Scientists | 159 |
| University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Biological Technicians | 157 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Bioinformatics Scientists | 156 |
| The University of ChicagoChicago, IL · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · Chemists | 155 |
Top 25 of 302 employers. Counts are certified FY2025 Labor Condition Applications in the occupations listed below; an LCA precedes a petition, so they show hiring patterns, not approvals.
Occupations in this group
DOL FY2025 certified LCAs| Occupation (SOC) | LCAs | Employers |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 3,824 | 161 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 1,717 | 151 |
| Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 1,025 | 123 |
| Physicists | 708 | 131 |
| Bioinformatics Scientists | 578 | 105 |
| Biological Technicians | 529 | 91 |
| Chemists | 456 | 121 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 402 | 82 |
| Materials Scientists | 328 | 92 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 280 | 52 |
| Microbiologists | 255 | 82 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 201 | 81 |
The 12 largest of 46 occupations assigned to this group by keywords in the DOL occupation name. The grouping is approximate; how roles are grouped.
“Appears cap-exempt” is a research opinion based on public sources; only USCIS decides, petition by petition, and whether a job qualifies for H-1B depends on the position and the candidate. Nothing here is legal advice. How the register is built.