Biochemistry Expert - Fully Remote | Upto $70/hr

mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; AUD 118,000 - 158,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Biology PhD coding expert for a remote contract role. The position runs for 6 weeks with a commitment of 20+ hours per week, starting immediately.

You will source material from papers and datasets, craft prompts, and calibrate tasks against frontier models using Python, R, GitHub, and Docker. Ideal candidates have a PhD in biology or related fields, deep knowledge in ecology/biochemistry/genetics, and proven ability to work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines

Qualifications

• PhD in biology or closely related field required.
• Depth in ecology, biochemistry or genetics.
• Proficiency in Python or R.
• Experience with GitHub and Docker.

Responsibilities

• Source material from papers, Kaggle datasets, or open-source repos to create research problems.
• Write scientific prompts and develop grading criteria for correct answers.
• Calibrate tasks against frontier models to push model evaluation.
• Use Python or R for scientific computing and analysis.
• Collaborate asynchronously and independently to meet deadlines.

Skills

Strong research background

Independent work

Collaborative communication

Education

PhD in Biology or related field

Depth in ecology or biochemistry or genetics

Tools

Python

R

GitHub

Docker

Job description

About the job

Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark , General Catalyst , Peter Thiel , Adam D'Angelo , Larry Summers , and Jack Dorsey .

Position: Biology PhD Coding Experts

Type: Contract

Compensation: $70/hour

Location: Remote

Duration: 6 weeks

Commitment: 20+ hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Source material from published papers, Kaggle datasets, or open-source repositories to create research problems.
• Write scientific prompts and develop grading criteria for correct answers.
• Calibrate tasks against frontier models, ensuring strong models fail more often than they succeed.
• Utilize Python , R , or other programming languages for scientific computing.
• Work with Git/GitHub and Docker for code execution and quality checks.
• Collaborate asynchronously and independently to meet deadlines and improve AI model performance.

Qualifications Must-Have

• PhD in biology, biological sciences, biochemistry, genetics, ecology, or a closely related field.
• Depth in at least two subdomains: ecology, biochemistry, genetics.
• Proficiency in Python , R , or another relevant programming language.
• Comfortable with Git/GitHub and Docker .

Preferred

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

Start Date

• Immediate

Interview Process

• A 25-minute conversational interview covering your background, experience, and motivations.
• Follow up within a few days with next steps and onboarding.