Medicinal Chemist - Fully Remote | Upto $90/Hr

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; GBP 63,000 - 94,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Drug Discovery Scientist for a remote contract engagement. You will design AI-driven research problems for drug development, build data rooms, and document evaluation criteria.

The role requires a PhD and expertise in mechanistic enzymology or structure-based design, with 20–40 hours per week at $60–$90 per hour.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industry track record.
• Expertise in enzyme mechanisms and drug design.
• Ability to defend reasoning rigorously.

Responsibilities

• Design realistic research problems for AI models in drug research and development.
• Build a data room from real, source-grounded data with traceable sources.
• Write a grading document that scores a submitted memo on substance, not style or method.
• Validate and run verification and calibration before submission.
• Revise and own the rework if a reviewer requests changes.
• Work independently and asynchronously to deliver high-quality outputs.

Skills

Mechanistic enzymology

Structure-guided design

Fragment-based discovery

Medicinal chemistry

Education

PhD

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: Drug Discovery Scientist
Type: Contract
Compensation: $60–$90/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 20–40 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Design realistic research problems for AI models in drug research and development.
• Build a data room from real, source-grounded data with every decisive value tracing to a real source.
• Write a grading document that scores a submitted memo on substance, not style or method.
• Validate and run verification and calibration before submission.
• Revise and own the rework if a reviewer requests changes.
• Work independently and asynchronously to ensure high-quality deliverables.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Working expertise in mechanistic enzymology, structure-guided peptide or antibody design, fragment-based discovery, or structure-based medicinal chemistry.
• PhD or equivalent industry track record.
• Ability to pose a problem whose answer can be defended rigorously.
• Comfortable judging reasoning quality, not just final answers.

Compensation & Legal

• Hourly contractor

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]