Inorganic Chemistry PhD - Synthesis Expert

Mercor; Berlin; On-site; EUR 40,000 - 64,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor in Berlin seeks experienced Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Synthesis Experts to contribute to advanced AI research initiatives. You will leverage your expertise in inorganic chemistry, synthetic methodologies, and materials characterization to evaluate complex scientific problems and support AI systems with rigorous reasoning.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD in a related field and have hands-on experience designing, synthesising, and characterising inorganic materials, with the ability to

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc with extensive research in inorganic/materials chemistry.
• Experience in inorganic synthesis and solid-state reactions.
• Strong understanding of crystallography and thermodynamics.
• Experience interpreting characterization data and literature.
• Strong scientific writing and analytical reasoning.
• Ability to independently solve complex problems.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate technically complex problems in inorganic chemistry and materials synthesis.
• Review and validate AI-generated scientific explanations and methods.
• Assess reaction mechanisms, precursors, and phase formation.
• Develop reference answers and reasoning frameworks.
• Identify inaccuracies in chemical reasoning and results.
• Apply XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, FTIR, Raman, and thermal analysis.
• Collaborate with research teams to improve AI model accuracy.

Skills

Inorganic synthesis

Solid-state chemistry

Crystallography

Materials characterization

Analytical reasoning

Scientific writing

Independent evaluation

Education

PhD in Inorganic Chemistry or Materials Science

Extensive MSc with research experience

Tools

XRD

XPS

SEM

TEM

FTIR

Raman

Job description

Mercor is seeking experienced Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Synthesis Experts to contribute to advanced AI research initiatives. In this role, you will leverage your expertise in inorganic chemistry, synthetic methodologies, and materials characterisation to evaluate complex scientific problems, assess technical accuracy, and support the development of AI systems capable of advanced scientific reasoning. This opportunity is ideal for PhD-level researchers, materials scientists, and industry professionals with hands‑on experience designing, synthesising, and characterising inorganic materials.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate technically complex problems involving inorganic chemistry, solid‑state chemistry, and materials synthesis.

• Review and validate AI‑generated scientific explanations, synthesis pathways, and experimental methodologies.

• Assess reaction mechanisms, precursor selection, reaction conditions, phase formation, and materials stability.

• Develop scientifically rigorous reference answers, technical evaluations, and reasoning frameworks.

• Identify inaccuracies in chemical reasoning, proposed synthetic routes, and interpretations of experimental results.

• Apply knowledge of analytical and characterisation techniques such as XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal analysis.

• Collaborate with research teams to improve the scientific accuracy and reliability of advanced AI models.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, Solid‑State Chemistry, Materials Science, or a closely related discipline. Exceptional MSc candidates with extensive research experience may be considered.

• Demonstrated experience in inorganic synthesis, solid‑state reactions, solution‑phase synthesis, hydrothermal/solvothermal methods, or related techniques.

• Strong understanding of crystallography, phase diagrams, chemical bonding, thermodynamics, and reaction kinetics.

• Experience interpreting experimental characterisation data and assessing scientific literature.

• Strong scientific writing, analytical reasoning, and communication skills.

• Ability to independently evaluate complex scientific problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience involving catalysts, metal oxides, ceramics, semiconductors, coordination compounds, or functional inorganic materials.

• Peer‑reviewed publications or patents in inorganic chemistry or materials synthesis.

• Experience bridging experimental chemistry with computational materials science.

• Prior experience evaluating scientific datasets, technical benchmarks, or AI‑generated research outputs.

Engagement Details

• Commitment: Minimum 10 hours per week, with potential for up to 40 hours per week.

Why Join Mercor?

• Apply specialised scientific expertise to cutting‑edge AI research.

• Contribute to improving how advanced AI systems understand chemistry and materials science.

• Collaborate on intellectually challenging scientific problems.