Biology PhDs with published papers
Mercor • Remote
Education
Any
Type
hourly
Pay Rate (by country)
$80–$125/hr
Listed
141d ago
✅ Applying through this link supports our platform at no cost to you.
This position is hosted on an external talent platform. Please only apply for this position if it fits your skills and interests.
In our Talent Pool?
Apply through this link and we can vouch for you to Mercor. ? We vouch for Talent Pool members who apply through our referral link, when we believe they're a strong match. Not every applicant gets a vouch. Not in the pool yet? Set up your profile first.
Set up your profile →Mercor: our referral track record
We've referred 556 candidates to Mercor roles. 5% (29) were placed.
About this Role
From the Mercor listing
Mercor is seeking PhD-level life scientists with deep expertise across biology, omics, and computation to support a research project with a leading AI lab. In this role, you will leverage your domain knowledge in biology to create challenges for leading AI models - ensuring scientific accuracy, experimental rigor, and sound reasoning across complex biological questions. Your hands-on research experience will directly shape how next-generation AI systems understand and reason about the life sciences.
- Create challenges related to molecular biology, genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and/or proteomics with scientific accuracy and depth
- Design experimental challenges, including evaluation of controls, confounders, reproducibility, and data interpretation
- Create high-quality training data including research-level questions, answers, and evaluation rubrics across domains
- Provide structured feedback on challenges covering wet-lab protocols, computational analysis pipelines, and study design
- Apply quantitative and bioinformatics reasoning to calibrate model performance on complex, multi-step biological problems
- PhD (or MD/PhD) in a life-science field such as molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, bioengineering, or systems biology
- Currently or recently active in academia - e.g., faculty, staff scientist, research scientist, or postdoc with an active institutional affiliation and ongoing research
- Hands-on wet-lab experience - must have designed and executed experiments (not purely computational)
- Strong experimental design and scientific reasoning - demonstrated expertise with controls, confounders, reproducibility, and interpretation
- Bio-focused domain expertise in at least one of the following:
- Genomics
- Transcriptomics
- Epigenetics
- Proteomics / protein assays / protein biochemistry
- Evidence of research impact - published peer-reviewed work or influential preprints/tools/datasets with clear contributions (e.g., first/second author papers, senior-author leadership, or widely used methods and resources)
- Computational and quantitative skills - experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, statistical genetics, and/or machine learning for omics (analysis, interpretation, and study design support)
- Breadth across molecular modalities:
- DNA / RNA / protein biology; gene expression and translation
- Protein assays (e.g., Western blot, ELISA, mass spectrometry-based proteomics)
- Small molecules / chemical biology exposure
- Pilot program to start. High touch and high excellence required - with potential for extension based on performance.
Requirements
- Must be eligible to work in Remote
- Fluent proficiency in English (Written & Verbal)
- Reliable high-speed internet connection
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
- Demonstrated expertise in Data Science
What to Expect
Looking at Mercor Data Science listings we've tracked, contracts in this domain typically run about 3.6 weeks. Actual length varies by project, but this gives you a realistic baseline going in.
Based on 17 extracted Mercor Data Science listings.
Why This Role
Rare opportunity for top 1% experts. Earn $102.5/hr contributing to the world's most advanced AI labs. This is one of the few roles where academic precision is valued as highly as commercial output.
Skills & Categories
Explore other opportunities in related specializations:
Related Jobs
Browse All Jobs from Mercor
Discover more opportunities on Mercor that match your skills and interests.
View All Mercor Jobs →Verified Reviews
Community Reviews
Share your experience with Mercor
Help other candidates make better decisions by leaving a review.
Sign in to leave a reviewLeave your review
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mercor for freelancers or full-time contractors?
Mercor places you with one client for a defined engagement, like 'Python Tutor for 3 months', rather than having you grab small tasks from a shared queue. Most roles function as steady contract work, not one-off gigs.
Does Mercor's application require an on-camera interview?
Yes, every applicant records a video interview with an AI interviewer that asks questions about your resume. Clients review that recording to judge communication skills before matching, so there's no way to apply without going on camera.
Does it cost money to apply to Mercor?
No, applying and joining Mercor is free. Mercor's revenue comes from a fee it charges the client on top of your hourly rate, not from applicants. Treat any request for payment to join as a red flag.
Is AI training work the same as traditional consulting?
No. Instead of client deliverables, you're given complex scenarios to evaluate: grading the AI's logic, correcting its hallucinations, and supplying expert-level reasoning it doesn't have on its own. The job is closer to teaching than consulting.
Why do these AI training roles pay so much?
Because general knowledge isn't what's being tested. The model already knows the basics; what it needs is expertise on edge cases, the rare, difficult, highly technical judgment calls only a senior professional in the field would make correctly.
What does the day-to-day workload look like for elite-expert AI training roles?
Slow and deep, not fast and repetitive. A single task can take 45-60 minutes of researching citations or verifying complex calculations. Quality is what's being measured here, not throughput.
What does Data Science work look like for a Biology PhDs with published papers?
Tasks here are scoped to Data Science, not generic labeling. As a Biology PhDs with published papers, expect to draw on real domain judgment (evaluating outputs, correcting errors, or providing expert reasoning specific to Data Science) rather than following a one-size-fits-all rubric. If you don't have hands-on Data Science background, this is likely not the right listing to start with.
What happens when I click Apply on this listing?
You'll be taken to Mercor's external site to complete your application there. This listing links through a referral, but the process is identical to applying directly; the link just routes you correctly. Create an account on their site and follow their onboarding steps.
How soon will I start working after applying to Mercor?
Not immediately. Mercor is a talent marketplace, not a task queue, so applying puts you in a pool of candidates. You start working only once a specific client, like a major AI lab, selects your profile, and that matching process can take weeks.