Mercor
MercorVerified Source
Remote

Molecular Biology Experts | $70-$105/hr Remote

70–105/hr
Remote · Remote UK
Posted July 31, 2026
hourly
20 openings

Overview

This remote role places molecular biology experts at the heart of an AI lab's generative AI team, where your domain knowledge directly shapes how AI models understand and design nucleic acid sequences. You'll apply hands-on experience with DNA and RNA construct design—primers, plasmids, guide RNAs, mRNA, and repair templates—to create high-quality training data and evaluate model outputs. The position is hourly and can range from part-time to full-time (up to 40 hours per week), offering flexibility and competitive pay of $70–$105 per hour. As a W-2 employee of Cincinnatus LLC, you'll work as part of an extended workforce on cutting-edge GenAI initiatives.

What You'll Do5

  • 1Advise research and engineering teams on molecular biology and sequence design to identify knowledge gaps and boost AI model performance.
  • 2Craft challenging, domain-specific problems and write detailed, well-documented solutions covering primers (PCR/qPCR/cloning), plasmids/expression vectors, gRNA/sgRNA for CRISPR, mRNA constructs, and HDR templates—these solutions serve as ground truth for model training.
  • 3Review AI-generated answers to molecular biology tasks, comparing them against expert solutions and giving clear written feedback on correctness, rigor, and biological reasoning.
  • 4Build evaluation rubrics and guidelines for assessing sequence design quality, including guide/target selection, homology-arm length, primer melting temperature, specificity, codon optimization, and regulatory elements.
  • 5Work with other subject matter experts to maintain consistency and accuracy across training data.

Requirements5

  • 1Advanced degree (PhD strongly preferred) in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, synthetic biology, bioengineering, or a related life sciences field.
  • 2Proven hands-on experience designing nucleic acid constructs before running experiments—across several areas like primers, plasmids/vectors, gRNA/sgRNA, mRNA, and HDR/repair templates—plus knowledge of cloning methods (Gibson, Golden Gate, Gateway, restriction) and codon optimization.
  • 3Strong publication record with multiple first-author papers in respected journals such as Nature, Cell, eLife, Nucleic Acids Research, PNAS, or EMBO Journal (include publication links).
  • 4Demonstrated career progression and the ability to commit at least 20 hours per week during weekdays.
  • 5Excellent written communication skills and the capacity to justify design decisions clearly; prior experience with AI training, model evaluation, or data annotation is a plus.

Who Should Apply

The ideal candidate is a molecular biology specialist who is genuinely excited about applying their expertise to AI development. You're not just comfortable designing primers, plasmids, or guide RNAs—you understand the nuances of sequence design and can articulate why one approach works better than another. You're methodical, detail-oriented, and enjoy writing clear technical documentation. While a PhD is preferred, what matters most is your hands-on construct design experience and your ability to collaborate with engineers and other scientists to push AI models to the next level.

Salary Insight

The role pays $70.00–$105.00 per hour for remote work.

Location

Typeremote
LocationRemote UK
This is a remote position

Required Skills

molecular biologyprimer designpcrqpcrcloningplasmid designexpression vectorsgrna designsgrna designcrisprmrna construct designhdr repair templatesgibson assemblygolden gate assemblygateway cloningrestriction enzyme cloningcodon optimizationsynthetic biologyai trainingdata annotation

Application Tip

Make your application stand out by linking directly to your first-author publications and include a short paragraph describing a specific sequence design project you've worked on—highlighting the challenges and how you solved them. This shows you can clearly communicate your technical decisions.

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