Protein Design Expert - Fully Remote

About the job

Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark, General Catalyst, Peter Thiel, Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers, and Jack Dorsey.

Position: Highly Experienced Structural Biologists
Type: Contract
Compensation: $150–$220/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 15–30 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Brainstorm and develop 2–3 candidate problem ideas for long-horizon protein-design tasks.
• Iterate with the team to align on task structures and refine problem descriptions.
• Write detailed problem statements including target inputs, allowed tools, and success criteria.
• Evaluate the model's design decisions and reasoning quality throughout the process.
• Review and grade the model's trajectories, assessing design choices and reasoning at each step.
• Collaborate independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines and improve model performance.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• PhD or equivalent industry track record in protein-design.
• Expertise in binder design, FEP/ddG, enzyme engineering, or structure-guided med chem.
• Ability to pose and evaluate long-horizon design problems.
• Comfort with evaluating reasoning quality and model outputs.
• Quick iteration capability with multi-day turnaround on drafts.

Compensation & Legal

• Hourly contractor
• Paid weekly via Stripe Connect

Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)

• Upload resume
• AI interview based on your resume
• Submit form

Resources & Support

• For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome
• For any help or support, reach out to: [email protected]

PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.