Skip to content
aitrainer.work - AI Training Jobs Platform
STEM mercor

Highly Experienced Structural Biologists

Mercor • Remote, United States

Education

PhD

Type

Hourly

Pay Rate

$150–$220/hr

Listed

149d ago

Apply opens Mercor in a new tab.

Apply Now →

About this role

From the Mercor listing

About the role:

We're partnering with a leading AI lab to evaluate how a frontier model performs on long-horizon protein-design problems. We're running a small, hands-on project with senior protein-design experts to author and evaluate well-scoped design problems — and to iterate live with our team to shape what good looks like.

  • You're a working protein-design expert (binder design, FEP/ddG, enzyme engineering, structure-guided med chem, etc.) — PhD or equivalent industry track record.
  • You can showcase this expertise from many different angles. Materials Science, Computer Science, Biophysics, Force Field Chemists. If you work downstream or upstream from protein structures and have the expertise, please apply!
  • You can pose a long-horizon design problem whose optimal answer you don't know but where you're still confident judging whether a given trajectory is sound.
  • You're comfortable evaluating reasoning quality, not just final outputs. Including cases where the model has full internet/tool access or a constrained toolset.
  • You can iterate quickly (multi-day turnaround on drafts) for ~2 weeks.
  • ~15–30 hours over 2–4 weeks (problem authoring + iteration + trajectory grading). There is potential for expansion.
  • $150–220/hr. We want experts who’ve shipped molecules, maintained or contributed to widely-used tooling, and/or made an impact on the field.

Requirements

  • Must be eligible to work in one of: Remote, United States
  • Fluent proficiency in English (Written & Verbal)
  • Reliable high-speed internet connection
  • PhD's degree or equivalent professional experience
  • Demonstrated expertise in STEM

How long hiring takes

Across the AI training platforms we refer candidates to, the median gap between referral and hire is about 30 days. It varies by platform and role, so treat it as a rough guide for this one.

Within 2 weeks
~25%
Within 6 weeks
~60%
Within 3 months
~80%

Talent Pool members

Apply through this link and we can put you forward to Mercor when your profile is a strong match. Not every applicant is submitted. If you're not in the pool yet, set up your profile first.

Set up your profile →

Why this role

$150–$220/hr for Highly Experienced Structural Biologists work puts your STEM expertise on the same footing as an AI lab's own research staff, without the overhead of running a consulting practice around it.

Talent pool

We're light on STEM candidates

We've matched 65 people with a STEM background against 726 STEM listings we've tracked, so most go out without one. Set up a profile and we'll consider you for a role like this one.

Set up your profile

Skills and categories

Explore other opportunities in related specializations:

Related jobs

Mercor

Browse All Jobs from Mercor

Discover more opportunities on Mercor that match your skills and interests.

View All Mercor Jobs →

Verified Reviews

Loading reviews…

Community Reviews

Loading reviews…
💬

Share your experience with Mercor

Help other candidates make better decisions by leaving a review.

Sign in to leave a review

Common questions

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.

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.

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.

What does STEM work look like for a Highly Experienced Structural Biologists?

Tasks here are scoped to STEM, not generic labeling. As a Highly Experienced Structural Biologists, expect to draw on real domain judgment (evaluating outputs, correcting errors, or providing expert reasoning specific to STEM) rather than following a one-size-fits-all rubric. If you don't have hands-on STEM background, this is likely not the right listing to start with.

What specific skills does this listing call for?

Expert is named directly in the listing. If you don't have hands-on experience with this, expect the screening process to test for it directly rather than accepting adjacent experience as a substitute.

How much does this specific role pay?

This listing is posted at $150–$220/hr, an hourly rate. The range reflects experience level and negotiated terms, not a placeholder, so where you land in it depends on your background and the assessment. Pay can change between when we last checked the listing and when you apply, so confirm the current number on the platform's own application page before committing time.

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.

Is a PhD required?

For this specific role, yes, or near-equivalent professional depth. The credential gate is enforced at the assessment stage, not just on paper. That said, active PhD candidates and people with equivalent published research have qualified without a formal degree. The assessment is the real filter.

Can I apply from outside the United States?

This specific role is open only to people based in the United States. If you are somewhere else, applying is unlikely to lead to an offer even if you pass the assessment, because the restriction is usually about where the work can legally be contracted rather than your skills. Read the full description for any tax-residency or right-to-work caveats before you apply.

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.