U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services

Re: I-129 Petition to Amend/Extend the H-1B status for Manjunath Kustagi

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DRAFT - PLEASE REVIEW, MAKE ANY NECESSARY CHANGES/ADDITIONS, PREPARE ON COMPANY STATIONERY, SIGN AND RETURN TO SCOTT D. POLLOCK & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 105 WEST MADISON STREET, SUITE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60602

[CURRENT DATE]

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services

Vermont Service Center

75 Lower Welden Center

St. Albans, VT 05479-0001

Re: Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker (H-1B)

Petitioner: Columbia University

Beneficiary: Manjunath KUSTAGI

Dear Sir/Madam:

This letter is being submitted in support of our Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, for the benefit of Mr. Manjunath Kustagi. We would like Mr. Kustagi to join the Columbia Genome Center in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in the professional position of Senior Programmer Analyst. He is currently in the United States in valid H-1B status under File No. EAC-01-201-57929. We are requesting that he be issued an amended extension of status to allow him to accept our offer of temporary employment and reflect Columbia University as his employer.

The Columbia Genome Center (CGC) is a consortium of Columbia University scientists and their laboratories working together for the purposes of gene discovery and technology development related to the human genome. Integrated genomic mapping and sequencing is being used to facilitate gene discovery and gene therapy strategies. It helps researchers better understand single gene diseases, multiple gene diseases, and genetic susceptibilities to diseases. The aim is to encourage the rapid clinical application of new developments by providing all areas of expertise and resources that are necessary for the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics.

As part of CGC, the Department of Biomedical Informatics deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and optimal use of biomedical information, data, and knowledge for problem solving and decision-making. The emergence of biomedical informatics as a new discipline is due in large part to rapid advances in computing and communications technology, to an increasingly awareness that the knowledge based on biomedicine is essentially unmanageable by traditional paper-based methods, and to a growing conviction that the process of informed decision-making is as important to modern biomedicine as is the collection of facts on which clinical decisions or research plans are made.

CGC needs a Programmer Analyst to be responsible for the integration of biological data from numerous sources into a large-scale bioinformatics database. Sources might include micro array gene expression experiments, genetic sequencing experiments and databases, and metabolic and regulatory pathway experimental data or databases. The incumbent will assist in the design of data representations and data import strategies; develop and test codes to accomplish imports of data, including adapting existing programs; develop, design and create user interfaces to facilitate user level data import; integrate data with existing and future applications; develop documentation for code produces; participate in workshops and courses on applications of the technology developed; and, perform other related duties as assigned. This specialty occupation requires at a minimum a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, physics or mathematics or equivalent plus three years’ programming experience in a UNIX/Linux environment. The incumbent must have experience and proficiency in Java, JDBC/RMI and SQL; experience with relational databases in design, data import, and query design; and Perl and C/C++, UML design tools, J2EE, Oracle RDBMS, JSP/Servlet technology, Java Swing and design of user interfaces.

We consider Mr. Manjunath Kustagi qualified to undertake the responsibilities of Programmer Analyst for CGC. Mr. Kustagi has a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Technology, Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi and a number of years in the field of biomedical information. While F-1 Practical Training and later in H-1B status, Mr. Kustagi’s employment with First Genetic Trust (FGT) as a Genetic Banking Developer at FGT’s research facility in New Jersey consisted of using remote Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) through an XML-based API. He was responsible for the integration of FGT’s genetic banking systems and in charge of the medical information systems infrastructure development as well as JSP development and integration with genetic banking databases, using Java and XML programming.

Prior to FGT, Mr. Kustagi was employed in OPT as a Scientific Applications Developer for Lionbioscience Research, Inc., where his responsibilities included the design and writing of software for putative cDNA assembly from raw genomic data obtained from NCBI. Using Java, Mr. Kustagi also customized arraySCOUT proprietary software, dealing with micro array data. In addition, he worked on a sequence retrieval system, a proprietary file based on gene and protein sequence storage system. While on F-1 Curricular Practical Training, Mr. Kustagi worked for Transaction Information Systems, Inc. as a Software Developer, where he developed a website using Java, EJB, JSP, Servlets and Welogic Application Service.

Mr. Kustagi has an array of programming experience, including use of Java, Swing, JDBC, RMI, EJB, Servlets, C, C++, XML, SQL, PL/SQL, Korn/Bourne Scripting, Lips, Scheme, Pascal, Fortran, Python, JSP, HTML, CORBA, Perl (BioPerl), MS VisualC++, YACC/LEX. He has worked with UNIX, Linux, MSDOS operating systems, recombinant DNA technology, SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, cell culture, fermentation, and other molecular biology techniques. He has experience working with ORACLE and SRS (Sequence Retrieval System) databases; dbSNP, dbEST, dbGSS, and dbSTS genbanks and principles of FASTA, BLAST, PHYLIP, Smith-Watermann, HMM and GCG.

Given Mr. Kustagi’s combination of education and prior experience, we believe he fulfills all the necessary requirements to work with CGC in the professional and specialty occupation of Programmer Analyst. We are confident that his expertise in the fields of computer science and biomedical informatics will enhance and enable the continued research and facilitate the documentation of its results.

Please approve our I-129 petition to allow Mr. Kustagi to begin working for our center in H-1B status. In exchange for his professional services, Mr. Kustagi will receive an annual salary of $50,000. Mr. Kustagi has agreed to accept this position and to refrain from any activities that might represent a conflict of interest. Our employment relationship is “at will,” subject to termination by either party with a proper prior notice.

If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me or our attorney in this matter, Scott D. Pollock. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Kenneth C. Smith, Ph.D.

Project Manager

KCS/m

Enclosures