Oswald Wong, 33, pretended to be a General Medical Council (GMC) member to land the role in Merthyr Tydfil.
He was offered a post administering drug trials to volunteers and treating reactions to the medication - despite not having any medical qualifications to work in Britain.
Wong admitted fraud and was jailed for eight months at Merthyr Crown Court.
The court heard he was qualified to work in the United States but used false references in applications for medical jobs in the UK.
He was not able to take up a senior position with GW Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge because he could not back up fake references on his CV.
Wong then applied for a role with Simbec Research Ltd in Merthyr Tydfil, for £55,000, in November last year - but could not begin until he provided proof of his GMC registration - and the company became suspicious when it was not given.
Rachel Knight, prosecuting, said: "The GMC had no record of him registering as a doctor.
"He would have been expected to administer drugs and had anyone had a reaction to the drugs, he would have had to deal with that.
"He did not seem to appreciate the importance of providing the correct documents."
Wong later withdrew his application and never treated any patients, but bosses at Simbec reported him to medical authorities.
The court heard Wong had medical certificates to work in the US and other countries but had failed medical exams in the UK.
Judge Tracey Lloyd Clarke said: "This was a sophisticated fraud involving forging documents and considerable time and care would have gone into drawing up fake details on your CV."
A doctor has been jailed for lying on his CV to get a £55,000-a-year job at a medical research centre.