Chemistry Research Collaborator (Part-time)

We are recruiting a select cohort of accomplished chemistry researchers to contribute to the next generation of AI systems for scientific reasoning. Our partner labs are building models that need to reason about organic synthesis, mechanism, catalysis, structural and physical chemistry, chemical biology, computational and theoretical chemistry, and materials at the level of a working researcher — not a textbook. To get there, they need contributors whose own research sits at the frontier.

This position will be placed at a leading AI lab as part of their extended workforce.

What you'll do

• Review and evaluate research papers in chemistry for correctness, novelty, and significance

• Author and review challenging chemistry problems used to train and evaluate frontier AI models

• Evaluate model outputs on tasks ranging from retrosynthesis and mechanism prediction to spectral interpretation, computational chemistry, and literature reasoning

• Surface areas where current models fail — especially the kinds of mistakes a working PhD chemist would catch immediately

• Collaborate with a small program team and other senior contributors

Qualifications

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

• First-author or co-first-author publications in journals such as JACS, Nature Chemistry, Science, Nature, Angewandte Chemie, Nature Catalysis, ACS Catalysis, Chem (Cell Press), Chemical Reviews, Chem Soc Rev, the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Organic Letters, Inorganic Chemistry, or Nature Communications

• A doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution in chemistry or a related STEM field

• A competitive fellowship, such as an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, a Hertz Fellowship, a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Camille and Henry Dreyfus award, a Searle Scholar or Pew Scholar award, a Beckman Young Investigator award, an NIH F32/NRSA, a Damon Runyon, Helen Hay Whitney, Marie Curie, Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, Gates Cambridge, or Schmidt Science Fellowship, an NSF CAREER award, or a DOE Early Career award

• Issued patents, a spin-out company, or grants held as a named Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator

• An International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal

• Current or recent experience in an active research role, as a PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, instructor, faculty member, principal scientist, or industry researcher

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

Engagement

• Part-time: up to 20 hours per week

• Compensation reflects research seniority and credentials

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus LLC serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Cincinnatus LLC is a legal entity separate from Mercor. While opportunities may be discovered through Mercor's platform, employment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits for these roles are administered by Cincinnatus LLC.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus LLC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Cincinnatus LLC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans throughout the job application process.