Biology & Life Sciences Domain Expert

Confidential; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Zekai invites senior biologists and life scientists to help frontier AI models reason about real life sciences research. Your scientific judgment will define what correct looks like, review model outputs, and design benchmarks that show genuine improvement.

This is a fully remote contract role based in the United States. Applicants should hold a PhD in a life science field, possess a strong publication record, AI fluency, and the ability to give precise feedback and write clear problem

Qualifications

• PhD in a life sciences field required.
• Senior research role experience at a university, medical center, national lab, or research organization.
• Genuine specialization in at least one life science area.
• Strong peer-reviewed publication record; fellowships/awards a plus.
• Hands-on use of AI tools and judgment to evaluate model outputs.

Responsibilities

• Expert review: assess life sciences tasks and model outputs for rigor and peer-review readiness.
• Write precise problem statements and reference solutions.
• Design challenging benchmarks in your specialization.
• Work with other researchers to turn tacit judgment into explicit criteria.

Skills

AI fluency

Communication

Research record

Education

PhD in biochemistry, molecular/cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, or related life science

Job description

Help define how frontier AI models reason about biology and the life sciences.

1. Overview

We are looking for senior biologists and life scientists to improve how frontier AI models reason about real life sciences research.

Your scientific judgment is the substance of this role. You will review the quality of life sciences reasoning tasks and model outputs, write the problem specifications and reference solutions that define what "correct" looks like, and design benchmarks that show whether a model is genuinely improving. We are looking for a practicing specialist rather than a generalist.

This role is fully remote.

2. Key Responsibilities

• Expert review: Assess life sciences tasks and model outputs, catching mechanistic hand-waving, unsupported causal claims, flawed experimental design, and answers that read well but would not survive peer review.
• Problem specs and reference solutions: Write precise problem statements and rigorous reference solutions that reflect how life sciences research is actually done.
• Benchmarks: Design challenging, research-level problems and evaluation sets in your area of specialization.
• Calibration: Work with other researchers and experts in adjacent fields to turn tacit expert judgment into explicit, teachable criteria.

3. Core Qualifications

• Education: PhD in biochemistry, molecular or cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, or a closely related life science.
• Seniority: A faculty appointment, principal investigator, staff or senior scientist, or an equivalent senior research role at a university, academic medical center, national laboratory, or research organization.
• Domain depth: Genuine specialization in at least one area, for example molecular and cell biology, biochemistry and structural biology, immunology, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, or ecology and evolution.
• Research record: A strong peer-reviewed publication record. Recognition such as competitive fellowships or awards is a plus.
• AI fluency: Hands-on use of large language models in your work, and the judgment to tell a sound argument from a plausible-sounding wrong one.
• Communication: Excellent written communication and the ability to give precise, well-structured feedback.
• Location: Based in the United States.

This is a 100% remote contract role. Applicants must be located in: United States.