Chemistry Expert (PhD) — AI Safety Part-time

Chemistry Expert (PhD) — AI Safety

$65-$70 / hr

Part-time position United States

About the role

We're hiring PhD-level chemists to help make advanced AI models safer. You'll apply your scientific expertise to evaluate and strengthen how these models handle specialized chemistry topics. No prior AI/ML experience is required — we'll train you on the workflow.

What you'll do

• Write expert-level prompts across specialized chemistry topics.
• Evaluate and annotate model responses for scientific accuracy, helpfulness, and appropriate handling of sensitive content.
• Apply structured guidelines to classify prompts and conversations.

What we're looking for

• A PhD in chemistry or a closely related field — ongoing or completed (e.g., organic, inorganic, analytical, physical, medicinal, or computational chemistry; chemical engineering; materials science).
• Deep familiarity with modern laboratory and computational techniques in your subfield.
• Strong scientific reasoning and writing in English.
• Sound judgment around chemical safety and the responsible handling of dual-use information.

Nice to have

• Research or coursework touching on chemical safety/security, synthesis, or hazardous-materials handling.
• Experience reviewing, grading, or red-teaming technical content.

Project Timeline

• Start date: Immediate
• Commitment: Part-time (15–25 hours/week, with flexibility up to 40 hours/week)

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.