Computational Chemist - Fully Remote | Upto $70/hr

Obsidian; Greater London; Remote; GBP 41,000 - 69,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking PhD- and Master’s-level scientists to author AI evaluation tasks as part of a new Sci Code benchmark. You will craft original, executable research problems that current frontier models cannot solve and contribute to a benchmark for scientific computing with a focus on chemistry subdomains.

You will source material, write prompts, define grading criteria, and calibrate tasks against models that fail more often than succeed, in a collaborative experiment with leading AI labs.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemistry, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry, computational chemistry, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated depth in quantum chemistry and computational chemistry.
• Proficiency in Python, R, or another language for scientific computing.
• Comfortable with Git/GitHub and running code in Docker — PR workflow experience.

Responsibilities

• Source your own material from papers, Kaggle datasets, open-source repositories, or a scenario you design.
• Write scientific prompts based on the input.
• Build the grading criteria that define a correct answer.
• Calibrate against frontier models — a task ships only when strong models fail it more often than they succeed.

Skills

Python

R

Git/GitHub

Docker

Education

PhD in chemistry or closely related field

Tools

Docker

Git/GitHub

Job description

Mercor is hiring PhD and Master's scientists to author AI evaluation tasks (Sci Code)

Mercor is partnering with leading AI labs on a new benchmark for scientific computing. You will author original, executable research problems that today's frontier models cannot solve.

Domains — depth required in at least two subdomains (with a coding focus)

• Chemistry — quantum chemistry, computational chemistry

What you'll do

• Source your own material: a published paper, a Kaggle dataset, an open-source repository, or a scenario you design
• Write scientific prompts based on the input
• Build the grading criteria that define a correct answer
• Calibrate against frontier models — a task ships only when strong models fail it more often than they succeed

Required

• PhD in chemistry, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry, computational chemistry, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated depth in both of the following subdomains: quantum chemistry and computational chemistry
• Working proficiency in Python, R, or another relevant programming language for scientific computing
• Comfortable with Git/GitHub and running code in Docker — authoring runs through a pull-request workflow with automated quality checks

Preferred

• Publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Prior scientific software or research engineering experience

Engagement

• Duration: 6 weeks
• Commitment: part-time, 20+ hours per week
• Start date: immediate

Process

1. Upload your resume and application form
2. A 25-minute conversational interview covering your background, experience, and motivations
3. Follow up within a few days with next steps and onboarding