Biology & Biophysics Research Collaborator at Mercor

Biology & Biophysics Research Collaborator | $80–110/hr | Worldwide Remote | Part-Time

Join a select cohort of accomplished researchers helping shape the next generation of AI systems for scientific reasoning. Our partner AI labs are building frontier models that must reason about molecular biology, biophysics, structural biology, immunology, neuroscience, and genomics at the level of an active working researcher — not a textbook. This is a part-time, remote engagement (up to 20 hours/week) placed within a leading AI lab's extended workforce.

What You'll Do

• Review and evaluate research papers in biology and biophysics for scientific rigor, novelty, and validity
• Author and review challenging problems used to train and evaluate frontier AI models
• Assess model outputs across tasks such as mechanism prediction, experimental design, and literature interpretation
• Identify failure modes in current AI models — particularly errors a working PhD researcher would immediately recognize
• Collaborate with a small program team and other senior scientific contributors

Qualifications

We're looking for researchers who meet several of the following criteria:

• First-author or co-first-author publications in top-tier journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, PNAS, eLife, NEJM, Nature Methods, Nature Medicine, or Nature Biotechnology
• Doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution in the life sciences or a related STEM field
• Competitive fellowship or award (e.g., HHMI, NIH F31/F32/K99, NSF GRFP, Damon Runyon, Pew, Sloan, Packard, Simons, or Fulbright)
• Issued patents, a spin-out company, or grants held as a named Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator
• Current or recent active research experience as a PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, faculty member, principal scientist, or industry researcher

Outstanding senior PhD students and recent graduates with strong publication records are strongly encouraged to apply. Depth of research output matters more than years of experience.

Engagement Details

• Schedule: Part-time, up to 20 hours per week
• Compensation: $80–$110/hr, reflecting research seniority and credentials
• Location: Fully remote, worldwide
• Employment: W-2 employment through Cincinnatus LLC (employer of record)