Remote Quantum Chemistry & AI Problem Designer

mercor; United States; Remote; USD 96,000 - 138,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Computational Chemistry & Electronic Structure Expert to design and refine challenging quantum chemistry problems using PySCF. This remote contract role requires 15–20 hours per week and collaboration with AI research teams to align with real scientific workflows.

Ideal candidates hold MS/PhD-level training in a relevant STEM field and demonstrate proficiency with scientific software libraries and Python for problem setups and validators.

Qualifications

• Graduate-level STEM degree (MS, PhD, or equivalent research experience).
• Proven proficiency with scientific software libraries through research publications or professional work.
• Strong Python skills for writing problem setups and solution validators.
• Ability to work independently and refine designs based on feedback.
• Comfortable in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes.

Responsibilities

• Design challenging computational problems in Computational Chemistry & Electronic Structure using PySCF for quantum chemistry calculations.
• Develop problems requiring strategic planning for AI to uncover hidden information through simulations and experiments.
• Test and refine problems against state-of-the-art AI models to achieve target difficulty.
• Collaborate with AI research teams to ensure problems align with real scientific workflows.
• Work independently to create problems that challenge AI reasoning beyond surface-level pattern matching.

Skills

Python programming

Linux

Independent work

Scientific software

Education

MS/PhD in STEM or equivalent

Tools

PySCF

Job description

Mercor is seeking a Computational Chemistry & Electronic Structure Expert to design and refine challenging quantum chemistry problems using PySCF. This remote contract role requires 15–20 hours per week and collaboration with AI research teams to align with real scientific workflows.

Ideal candidates hold MS/PhD-level training in a relevant STEM field and demonstrate proficiency with scientific software libraries and Python for problem setups and validators.