Molecular Biologist - Fully Remote | Upto $70/hr

mercor; United States; Remote; USD 69,000 - 96,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Biology Research Scientist (Contract) for remote work in the United States. The role involves validating protein target assignments against UniProt, flagging errors, and proposing correct accessions to support AI-driven drug discovery.

You will write concise notes explaining your reasoning and work independently to meet deadlines. Ideal candidates hold a BA/BS with 5+ years, MS with 2+ years, or a PhD in pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or chemical biology, with

Qualifications

• BA/BS with 5+ years, MS with 2+ years, or PhD in pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or chemical biology.
• Industry or drug discovery research experience at biotech, pharma, or CRO.
• Hands-on binding or functional assay experience (SPR, TR-FRET, radioligand binding, kinase assays, GPCR assays, IC50/Ki/KD).
• Currently bench-active in a research, scientist, or associate scientist role.
• Working fluency with UniProt or adjacent workflows: SAR support, HTS, target validation, biochemical profiling, or IND-enabling studies.

Responsibilities

• Access primary sources such as papers and patents to verify protein target assignments against UniProt records.
• Flag and classify target assignment errors using a structured taxonomy to improve data accuracy.
• Propose correct UniProt accessions where assignments are incorrect to ensure data integrity.
• Write concise, evidence-grounded notes explaining your reasoning to support AI drug discovery pipelines.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while enhancing AI model performance.

Skills

bench-active

UniProt workflows

binding/functional assay experience

Education

BA/BS in pharmacology/biochemistry/molecular biology/chemical biology

MS in pharmacology/biochemistry/molecular biology/chemical biology

PhD in pharmacology/biochemistry/molecular biology/chemical biology

Tools

SPR

TR-FRET

Radioligand binding

Kinase assays

GPCR functional assays

IC50/Ki/KD

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 Research Scientist (BA, MS, PhD's)

Type: Contract

Compensation: $50–$70/hour

Location: Remote

Duration: 1–2 month minimum, extension likely

Commitment: 10–20 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Access primary sources such as papers and patents to verify protein target assignments against UniProt records.
• Flag and classify target assignment errors using a structured taxonomy to improve data accuracy.
• Propose correct UniProt accessions where assignments are incorrect to ensure data integrity.
• Write concise, evidence-grounded notes explaining your reasoning to support AI drug discovery pipelines.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while enhancing AI model performance.

Qualifications

• Must-Have BA/BS with 5+ years , MS with 2+ years , or PhD in pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or chemical biology.
• Industry or drug discovery research experience at a biotech, pharma, or CRO.
• Hands-on binding or functional assay experience ( SPR , TR-FRET , radioligand binding, kinase assays, GPCR functional assays, IC50/Ki/KD ).
• Currently bench-active in a research, scientist, or associate scientist role.
• Working fluency with UniProt or adjacent workflows: SAR support, HTS , target validation, biochemical profiling, or IND-enabling studies .

Preferred

• Direct experience with ChEMBL , BindingDB , or PubChem .
• Selectivity profiling or counterscreening experience.
• Familiarity with agonist/antagonist vs. activator/inhibitor distinctions.

Start Date

• Immediate start