Part-Time Analytical Chemist for AI-Driven Chemistry

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

Job summary

Cincinnatus LLC is seeking Chemistry SMEs to help build and evaluate AI models for chemistry. The role focuses on synthetic, organic, medicinal, analytical, or physical chemistry, with 3+ years of hands-on experience and a strong lab background.

The position is part-time through Cincinnatus LLC, with potential placement at a leading AI lab as part of the extended workforce. Remote collaboration and weekly hours around 20+ are anticipated.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemistry or equivalent
• 3+ years hands-on chemistry experience
• Experience in small-molecule synthesis and multi-step route design
• Proficient in analytical techniques with data interpretation (NMR, MS, IR, HPLC/LC-MS)
• Familiar with cheminformatics and scientific AI tools (no coding)
• Able to commit ~20 hours/week on weekdays
• Strong written communication and ability to explain complex decisions clearly
• Nice-to-have: SMILES/SMARTS, rubrics, benchmarks, or evaluating scientific AI models

Responsibilities

• Guide research and engineering teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance in synthetic chemistry.
• Design non-searchable chemistry tasks, benchmarks and training data, with precise solutions.
• Evaluate AI model outputs and diagnose errors in chemistry logic and data.
• Develop specifications, grading rubrics and verification processes for chemistry data produced externally.
• Advise on experimental design, lab failure modes, and chemical validity of model outputs.
• Collaborate with other SMEs to ensure consistency and accuracy in training data.

Education

PhD in chemistry (synthetic, organic, medicinal, analytical, physical or a closely related discipline)

3+ years hands-on chemistry experience

Small-molecule synthesis design and multi-step route optimization

Analytical characterization and data interpretation (NMR, MS, IR, HPLC/LC-MS)

Cheminformatics and scientific AI tools familiarity (no coding)

Tools

NMR spectroscopy

Mass spectrometry

IR spectroscopy

HPLC/LC-MS

Job description

Cincinnatus LLC is seeking Chemistry SMEs to help build and evaluate AI models for chemistry. The role focuses on synthetic, organic, medicinal, analytical, or physical chemistry, with 3+ years of hands-on experience and a strong lab background.

The position is part-time through Cincinnatus LLC, with potential placement at a leading AI lab as part of the extended workforce. Remote collaboration and weekly hours around 20+ are anticipated.