Remote Microbiome & Translational Research Scientist

Confidential; United States; Remote; USD 83,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Zekai is seeking a Clinical, Microbiome & Translational Research Scientist (PhD) for a 100% remote contractor role. You will design expert-level microbiome and translational research problems, and evaluate AI model outputs for scientific accuracy and depth of reasoning.

You will develop rubrics grounded in primary literature and apply 16S, shotgun metagenomics, virome analyses, and omics-driven precision medicine. Strong English is required and a PhD is essential.

Qualifications

• PhD in Microbiology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, Epidemiology, or closely related field.
• Hands-on research experience in an academic or industry lab.
• Professional written and spoken English (C1 or higher).

Responsibilities

• Design and write expert-level microbiome/metagenomics problems with verifiable solutions.
• Review AI model outputs for scientific accuracy and depth of reasoning.
• Develop rubrics and reference answers grounded in primary literature.
• Apply domain expertise across 16S and shotgun metagenomics, virome/host-microbiome analysis, biomarker discovery, clinical genomics, and omics-driven precision medicine.
• Provide clear written explanations of your reasoning for peer validation.
• Meet quality standards through iterative feedback and peer review.

Skills

Research experience

Scientific writing

English proficiency

Critical thinking

Programming: Python/R/Bash

Reviewing/benchmarking scientific work

Education

PhD in Microbiology or related field

Tools

Python

R

Bash

QIIME2

Kraken2

MetaPhlAn

HUMAnN

MAG assembly/binning

Job description

Zekai is seeking a Clinical, Microbiome & Translational Research Scientist (PhD) for a 100% remote contractor role. You will design expert-level microbiome and translational research problems, and evaluate AI model outputs for scientific accuracy and depth of reasoning.

You will develop rubrics grounded in primary literature and apply 16S, shotgun metagenomics, virome analyses, and omics-driven precision medicine. Strong English is required and a PhD is essential.