About this opportunity
Confidential lists this Synthetic and Analytical Chemist for AI Model Evaluation opportunity in Delano, Minnesota. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Role Overview
Apply hands-on chemistry expertise to help develop and evaluate advanced AI models for scientific work. You will contribute practical knowledge across synthetic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, structure elucidation, and physical-chemical property reasoning, supporting research teams building foundational models for chemistry.
Key Responsibilities
Guide research and engineering teams in closing knowledge gaps and improving AI performance in synthetic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, structure elucidation, and physical-chemical property reasoning.
Create challenging chemistry tasks, benchmarks, and training data that cannot be solved through simple search, with accurate, clearly structured solutions for multi-step route design, reaction optimization, and spectroscopic characterization.
Assess AI outputs and step-by-step reasoning, identify errors in chemical logic, tool use, and factual accuracy, and provide written technical feedback.
Develop specifications, grading rubrics, and verification processes for chemistry data created by external technical teams, serving as a domain authority on data quality.
Advise on experimental design, common laboratory failure modes, and the chemical validity of model outputs, including molecular representations such as SMILES.
Work with other subject-matter experts to maintain consistent, accurate training data.
Qualifications
PhD in synthetic, organic, medicinal, analytical, physical chemistry, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research experience.
At least 3 years of hands-on chemistry experience at a recognized pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, or materials company, contract research organization, or university research group.
Hands-on small-molecule synthesis experience, including designing and executing multi-step routes and optimizing reactions.
Practical compound-characterization experience using NMR, mass spectrometry, IR, HPLC, or LC-MS, including interpretation of resulting data.
Comfort using cheminformatics and scientific AI tools. Coding is not required.
Strong written communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly.
Experience with SMILES or SMARTS, grading rubrics, benchmark design, or evaluation of scientific AI models or agents is preferred.
Work Terms
Part-time, hourly engagement, remote from London, UK, or the US East Coast.
Reliable weekday availability of at least 20 hours per week is required.
The engagement is administered through an appropriate employing entity, with potential placement on an AI research team as part of its extended workforce.
Compensation
$70 to $100 per hour.
Equal Opportunity
Employment decisions are made without discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.