Biology & Life Sciences Domain Expert

Mercor; United States; Remote; USD 124,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking senior biologists and life scientists to guide how frontier AI models reason about biology and the life sciences. The role emphasizes expert judgment to review, specify problems, and benchmark model outputs in a fully remote, USA‑based setting.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD with deep domain expertise, a strong publication record, and hands‑on AI experience to distinguish sound arguments from plausible sounding but incorrect ones.

Qualifications

• PhD in life sciences as listed in core qualifications.
• Senior scientific appointment or equivalent senior research role.
• Genuine specialization in at least one life science domain.
• Strong peer‑reviewed publication record; fellowships/awards a plus.
• Hands-on use of large language models in research workflow.
• Excellent written communication and precise feedback.
• Location based in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Expert review of life sciences tasks and model outputs to catch mechanistic hand‑waving or unsupported causal claims.
• Write precise problem statements and rigorous reference solutions reflecting real life sciences research.
• Design challenging, research‑level problems and evaluation sets in your area of specialization.
• Calibrate by turning tacit expert judgment into explicit, teachable criteria.

Skills

AI fluency

Communication

Research leadership

Education

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

Job description

Pay: $90 – $140/hour
Commitment: Hourly
Open to: USA

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.