Biology & Life Sciences Domain Expert at Mercor
posted 2 hours agoBiology & Life Sciences Domain Expert | $90-140/hr | Remote (US)
About the role
This is a fully remote contract role for senior biologists and life scientists who want to improve how frontier AI models reason about real life sciences research. Your scientific judgment is the substance of the role: you will review the quality of life sciences reasoning tasks and model outputs, write the problem specifications and reference solutions that define what "correct" looks like, and design benchmarks that show whether a model is genuinely improving. The team is looking for a practicing specialist rather than a generalist.
What the work involves
- Expert review: assess life sciences tasks and model outputs, catching mechanistic hand-waving, unsupported causal claims, flawed experimental design, and answers that read well but would not survive peer review.
- Problem specs and reference solutions: write precise problem statements and rigorous reference solutions that reflect how life sciences research is actually done.
- Benchmarks: design challenging, research-level problems and evaluation sets in your area of specialization.
- Calibration: work with other researchers and experts in adjacent fields to turn tacit expert judgment into explicit, teachable criteria.
Who this role is for
- PhD in biochemistry, molecular or cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, or a closely related life science.
- A faculty appointment, principal investigator, staff or senior scientist, or an equivalent senior research role at a university, academic medical center, national laboratory, or research organization.
- Genuine specialization in at least one area, for example molecular and cell biology, biochemistry and structural biology, immunology, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, or ecology and evolution.
- A strong peer-reviewed publication record. Recognition such as competitive fellowships or awards is a plus.
- Hands-on use of large language models in your work, and the judgment to tell a sound argument from a plausible-sounding wrong one.
- Excellent written communication and the ability to give precise, well-structured feedback.
Pay and location
$90-140/hr, paid hourly. The role is fully remote; you must be based in the United States.
How to apply for this role
- Upload your resume — keep it up-to-date and in English. Mercor will auto-fill your profile from it.
- Complete the AI interview — a 15-minute conversation about your experience. Be ready to discuss specific projects and challenges you've solved.
- Submit your application — only about 20% of applicants finish all the steps, so completing yours puts you well ahead.