Biology Phd - Scientific Coder

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Biology PhD Coding Expert for a remote, contract position. You will source material from papers and datasets to create research problems, write prompts, and develop grading criteria to benchmark frontier models.

Experts will use Python or R, collaborate with Git/GitHub and Docker for code quality, and work asynchronously to meet tight deadlines over a 6-week period with 20+ hours per week commitment.

Qualifications

• PhD in biology or related field required.
• Depth in ecology, biochemistry or genetics.
• Proficiency in Python or R.

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.

Skills

Python

R

Education

PhD in biology or related field

Tools

Git/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.

Resources & Support

• For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome
• For any help or support, reach out to: [e-mail]

PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.