Chemistry PhD - Synthetic Specialist

Mercor; Greater London; On-site; GBP 76,000 - 117,000; Part time

Job summary

Cincinnatus LLC is seeking a Chemistry SME to join a cutting-edge AI research team focused on foundational models for chemistry. The role involves designing benchmarks, evaluating AI outputs, and guiding experiments in synthetic and analytical chemistry, with up to 20 hours per week during weekdays.

This part-time engagement offers exposure to top-tier AI lab environments and collaboration with cross-disciplinary experts to ensure data quality and robust model development.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemistry or equivalent research experience.

Responsibilities

• Guide research and engineering teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance in synthetic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, structure elucidation, and property reasoning.

Skills

Chemistry knowledge

Scientific writing

Team collaboration

Communication

Education

PhD in chemistry

Tools

NMR

Mass spectrometry

IR

HPLC/LC-MS

Cheminformatics tools

SMILES/SMARTS

Job description

Join a leading AI lab's cutting-edge research team to be at the core of the AI revolution, where your expertise fuels the development of the most advanced LLMs.

1. Overview

Join a leading AI lab's cutting-edge research team and help build foundational AI models for science from the ground up. We're seeking talented Chemistry subject-matter experts (SMEs), including synthetic, organic, medicinal, analytical and physical chemists from academia or industry, to bring deep, hands-on laboratory expertise to the design and evaluation of advanced AI models for chemistry.

This is a part-time position through Cincinnatus LLC (or an appropriate international entity), with the opportunity to be placed at a leading AI Lab as part of their extended workforce.

2. Key Responsibilities

• Guide research and engineering teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance in synthetic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, structure elucidation, and physical-chemical property reasoning.
• Design challenging, non-searchable chemistry tasks, benchmarks and training data, and write accurate, well-structured solutions to problems such as multi-step route design, reaction optimization and spectroscopic characterization.
• Evaluate AI model outputs and step-by-step reasoning on chemistry tasks, diagnosing errors in chemical logic, tool usage and factual accuracy, and provide clear, written technical feedback.
• Develop specifications, grading rubrics and verification processes for chemistry data produced by external technical teams, and act as the domain authority on data quality.
• Advise on experimental design, common lab failure modes, and the chemical validity of model outputs, including molecular representations such as SMILES.
• Collaborate with other subject matter experts to ensure consistency and accuracy in training data.

3. Core Qualifications

• PhD in chemistry (synthetic, organic, medicinal, analytical, physical or a closely related discipline), or equivalent research experience.
• 3+ years of hands‑on chemistry experience at a recognized organization, such as a pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical or materials company, a contract research organization, or a university research group.
• Hands‑on experience in small‑molecule synthesis, including designing and running multi‑step routes and optimizing reactions.
• Practical experience characterizing compounds with analytical techniques such as NMR, mass spectrometry, IR and HPLC / LC‑MS, and interpreting the resulting data.
• Comfortable using cheminformatics and scientific AI tools (no coding required).
• Ability to engage reliably for at least 20 hours/week during weekdays.
• Strong written communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly.
• Nice to have: experience with cheminformatics representations (SMILES / SMARTS), writing grading rubrics, designing benchmarks, or evaluating scientific AI models or agents.

About Cincinnatus LLC: Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus, or an appropriate international entity, serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Cincinnatus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.