Biophysics Researcher - Scientific Expert

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 96,000 - 152,000; Part time

Job summary

Cincinnatus LLC is seeking accomplished biology and biophysics researchers to contribute to AI systems for scientific reasoning. This position is placed at a leading AI lab as part of their extended workforce in San Francisco.

You will review and evaluate papers for rigor, author and review challenging problems, and assess model outputs from mechanism prediction to literature interpretation. Part-time up to 20 hours/week with compensation reflecting senior credentials.

Qualifications

• First-author or co-first-author publications in top journals such as Nature/Science/Cell/PNAS/eLife/NEJM/Nature Methods.
• Doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution in life sciences or related STEM field.
• Competitive fellowship awards (HHMI, NIH, NSF, Damon Runyon, etc.).
• Issued patents or grants as PI/Co-Investigator or equivalent.
• Current or recent experience in an active research role (PhD candidate to senior researcher).

Responsibilities

• Review and evaluate biology/biophysics papers for rigor, novelty, and validity.
• Author and review challenging biology/biophysics problems for training frontier AI models.
• Evaluate model outputs on mechanism prediction, experimental design, and literature interpretation.
• Identify gaps where current models fail and provide expert insights.
• Collaborate with a small program team and other senior contributors.

Skills

Nature/Science publications

Collaborative research

Education

Doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution

Job description

We are recruiting a select cohort of accomplished biology and biophysics researchers to contribute to the next generation of AI systems for scientific reasoning. Our partner labs are building models that need to reason about molecular biology, biophysics, structural biology, immunology, neuroscience, genomics, and adjacent disciplines at the level of a working researcher — not a textbook. To get there, they need contributors whose own research sits at the frontier.

This position will be placed at a leading AI lab as part of their extended workforce.

What you'll do

• Review and evaluate research papers in biology and biophysics for rigor, novelty, and scientific validity

• Author and review challenging biology/biophysics problems used to train and evaluate frontier AI models

• Evaluate model outputs on tasks ranging from mechanism prediction to experimental design to literature interpretation

• Surface areas where current models fail — especially the kinds of mistakes a working PhD would catch immediately

• Collaborate with a small program team and other senior contributors

Qualifications

We\'re looking for researchers who meet several of the following:

• First-author or co-first-author publications in journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, PNAS, eLife, NEJM, Nature Methods, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, or Nature Communications

• A doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution in the life sciences or a related STEM field

• A competitive fellowship, such as an HHMI fellowship (including EXROP, Hanna H. Gray, or Investigator), an NIH F31/F32/K99, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship or Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, or a Damon Runyon, Helen Hay Whitney, Jane Coffin Childs, Searle, Pew, Sloan, Packard, Simons, or Fulbright award

• Issued patents, a spin-out company, or grants held as a named Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator

• Current or recent experience in an active research role, as a PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, instructor, faculty member, principal scientist, or industry researcher

Outstanding senior PhD students and recent graduates with strong publication records are strongly encouraged to apply; the depth of your research output matters more than years of experience.

Engagement

• Part-time: up to 20 hours per week

• Compensation reflects research seniority and credentials

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus LLC serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Cincinnatus LLC is a legal entity separate from Mercor. While opportunities may be discovered through Mercor\'s platform, employment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits for these roles are administered by Cincinnatus LLC.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus LLC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Cincinnatus LLC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans throughout the job application process.