Life Sciences Research Scientist (PhD) – Wet Lab & Computational Biology

Life Sciences Research Scientist (PhD): Wet Lab & Computational Biology

50 Openings | Remote – Worldwide | Independent Contractor

Compensation: Illustrative annualized equivalent of $86,400–$172,800, based on 1,920 hours per year.
Listed rate: $45–$90 per hour.

The annualized figures are provided for comparison only and do not represent guaranteed annual earnings. Actual compensation depends on project availability, hours worked, and applicable project requirements.

About the Role

We are seeking PhD-level Life Sciences Research Scientists with strong experimental and/or computational research backgrounds to contribute their expertise to the development and evaluation of next-generation AI systems.

You will design challenging scientific problems, evaluate AI-generated solutions, develop rigorous reference answers and scoring criteria, and assess whether proposed experiments, computational analyses, and scientific interpretations are methodologically sound.

This role is suited to researchers who can bridge experimental and computational perspectives across modern life sciences and distinguish scientifically rigorous reasoning from subtle but consequential errors.

Key Responsibilities

• Design challenging, expert-level life sciences problems with clear, verifiable solutions.

• Evaluate AI-generated scientific responses for accuracy, rigor, completeness, and depth of reasoning.

• Identify subtle scientific errors or unsupported conclusions that require advanced domain expertise to recognize.

• Develop detailed evaluation rubrics and reference answers grounded in primary scientific literature and established experimental and computational methodologies.

• Assess scientific questions and solutions across areas such as:

  • Genomics

  • Transcriptomics

  • Single-cell and spatial omics

  • Epigenomics

  • Proteomics and metabolomics

  • Microbiome and metagenomics

  • Structural biology

  • Drug discovery

  • Systems biology

  • Clinical and translational research

• Evaluate whether proposed experiments, analytical pipelines, computational approaches, or scientific interpretations are technically and scientifically sound.

• Apply both experimental and computational perspectives when reviewing complex research scenarios.

• Provide clear written explanations of scientific reasoning so other experts can understand, evaluate, and validate the conclusions.

• Participate in iterative feedback and peer review to maintain project quality standards.

Required Qualifications

Must have:

• Completed PhD in Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Microbiology, or a closely related life sciences discipline.

• Hands-on research experience in an academic, institutional, or industry research laboratory.

• Professional written and spoken English at C1 level or higher.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications

• Direct wet-lab research experience, including hands-on work with techniques such as:

  • PCR or qPCR

  • Cell culture

  • Sequencing library preparation

  • Western blot

  • Protein purification

  • LC-MS sample preparation

  • CRISPR workflows

• Academic research experience as a postdoctoral researcher, staff scientist, research faculty member, or equivalent.

• Peer-reviewed scientific publications, ideally as a first or corresponding author.

• PhD training from a leading research university in the United States, United Kingdom, or another internationally recognized research institution.

Relevant Technical Expertise

Experience across computational and quantitative life sciences may include:

• Computational biology

• Computational chemistry

• Molecular simulations

• Molecular dynamics

• Electronic structure methods

• Cheminformatics

• Drug discovery

• Scientific programming with Python

• Scientific software configuration

• AI/ML-assisted chemistry or biology workflows

• Quantitative and statistical analysis

• Scientific problem-solving and analytical reasoning

Experience with tools such as Gaussian, GROMACS, LAMMPS, AMBER, ORCA, or Psi4 may be relevant to computational research backgrounds.

Position Details

• Role type: Independent contractor

• Work arrangement: Fully remote

• Location: Worldwide

• Openings: 50

• Compensation: $45–$90 per hour

• Education requirement: Completed PhD

• Primary focus: Life sciences research, experimental biology, computational biology, scientific reasoning, and AI evaluation

Who Should Apply?

This opportunity is designed for researchers with advanced life sciences training who can think critically across experimental and computational domains. It is particularly suited to PhD-level scientists with substantial research experience, strong scientific writing skills, and the ability to evaluate complex methodologies and AI-generated scientific reasoning at an expert level.