Bioinformatics Genomics Puzzle Designer for AI Benchmarks

Mercor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 69,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Bioinformatics & Computational Single-Cell Genomics Expert to design graduate-level problems that use real scientific software to push AI models beyond label-based tasks.

You'll develop challenging benchmarks, work with Scanpy, scVelo, Squidpy, and Gudhi, and collaboratively refine problem sets, ensuring rigorous evaluation while maintaining reproducibility in Linux-based sandboxes.

Qualifications

• Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM field (MS, PhD, or equivalent research experience).
• Proven proficiency with at least one of the listed scientific software libraries (Scanpy, scVelo, Squidpy, Gudhi).
• Strong Python skills—writing problem setups, oracle functions, and validators.
• Ability to work independently and refine problem designs based on feedback.
• Comfortable working in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes.
• Available for at least 15–20 hours per week.

Responsibilities

• Design problems requiring science software to test AI models.
• Test problems against state-of-the-art models and refine difficulty.
• Develop scenarios around cell-type annotation, pseudotime ordering and multi-omic integration.
• Ensure reproducibility and robust evaluation pipelines.

Skills

Python programming

Linux / terminal

Independent work

Problem design

Communication

Education

MS/PhD in STEM

Tools

Scanpy

scVelo

Squidpy

Gudhi

Docker

Job description

Mercor is seeking a Bioinformatics & Computational Single-Cell Genomics Expert to design graduate-level problems that use real scientific software to push AI models beyond label-based tasks.

You'll develop challenging benchmarks, work with Scanpy, scVelo, Squidpy, and Gudhi, and collaboratively refine problem sets, ensuring rigorous evaluation while maintaining reproducibility in Linux-based sandboxes.