Biochemistry Research Scientist - PhD

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: Biology Research Scientist (BA, MS, PhD's)
Type:Contract
Compensation:$50–$70/hour
Location:Remote
Duration:1–2 month minimum, extension likely
Commitment:10–20 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Access primary sources such as papers and patents to verify protein target assignments against UniProt records.
• Flag and classify target assignment errors using a structured taxonomy to improve data accuracy.
• Propose correct UniProt accessions where assignments are incorrect to ensure data integrity.
• Write concise, evidence-grounded notes explaining your reasoning to support AI drug discovery pipelines.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while enhancing AI model performance.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• BA/BS with 5+ years, MS with 2+ years, or PhD in pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or chemical biology.
• Industry or drug discovery research experience at a biotech, pharma, or CRO.
• Hands-on binding or functional assay experience (SPR, TR-FRET, radioligand binding, kinase assays, GPCR functional assays, IC50/Ki/KD).
• Currently bench-active in a research, scientist, or associate scientist role.
• Working fluency with UniProt or adjacent workflows: SAR support, HTS, target validation, biochemical profiling, or IND-enabling studies.

Preferred

• Direct experience with ChEMBL, BindingDB, or PubChem.
• Selectivity profiling or counterscreening experience.
• Familiarity with agonist/antagonist vs. activator/inhibitor distinctions.

Start Date

• Immediate start

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: support@mercor.com

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