Biology & Biophysics Research Collaborator (Part-time)

We are recruiting a select cohort of accomplished biology and biophysics researchers to contribute to the next generation of AI systems for scientific reasoning. Our partner labs are building models that need to reason about molecular biology, biophysics, structural biology, immunology, neuroscience, genomics, and adjacent disciplines 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 biology and biophysics for rigor, novelty, and scientific validity
• Author and review challenging biology/biophysics problems used to train and evaluate frontier AI models
• Evaluate model outputs on tasks ranging from mechanism prediction to experimental design to literature interpretation
• Surface areas where current models fail — especially the kinds of mistakes a working PhD 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 Nature, Science, Cell, PNAS, eLife, NEJM, Nature Methods, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, or Nature Communications
• A doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution in the life sciences or a related STEM field
• A competitive fellowship, such as an HHMI fellowship (including EXROP, Hanna H. Gray, or Investigator), an NIH F31/F32/K99, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship or Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, or a Damon Runyon, Helen Hay Whitney, Jane Coffin Childs, Searle, Pew, Sloan, Packard, Simons, or Fulbright award
• Issued patents, a spin-out company, or grants held as a named Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator
• 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.

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.