Pharmaceutical R&D Scientist for AI Model Training

Role Overview

Help advance frontier AI models by bringing rigorous pharmaceutical research and development judgment to the evaluation, design, and improvement of domain-specific knowledge work. You will work closely with AI research and program management teams to define what scientifically and regulatorily sound drug development reasoning looks like in practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Review pharmaceutical knowledge-work tasks and model outputs, identifying missing behaviors, weak reasoning, unsupported efficacy or safety claims, and responses that would not withstand scientific or regulatory scrutiny.
• Create instruction specifications and gold-standard solutions for drug discovery and development problems.
• Develop industry-relevant tasks, challenging evaluations, and benchmarks that measure model improvement.
• Partner with researchers and adjacent-domain specialists to build pharmaceutical skills and tools, calibrate quality standards, and translate practical development judgment into explicit evaluation criteria.

Qualifications

• PhD or PharmD in a relevant discipline, such as medicinal or organic chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, pharmaceutical sciences, or toxicology. An MD with substantial drug development experience also qualifies.
• At least 4 years of substantive pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D experience with a pharmaceutical company, biotechnology company, contract research organization, or translational research institute. Academic research without drug development exposure is a weaker fit.
• Specialization in at least one pipeline stage, including target identification and validation, medicinal chemistry and lead optimization, preclinical pharmacology and toxicology, translational and biomarker science, clinical development, or regulatory affairs and CMC.
• Senior-level career progression, such as Senior Scientist, Principal Scientist, Director of Research, or VP-level R&D, with ownership of a discovery project or development program.
• Peer-reviewed publications, granted patents, or contributions to programs that reached the clinic are strongly preferred.
• Hands-on professional use of large language models and the ability to distinguish sound reasoning from plausible but incorrect answers.
• Excellent written communication and the ability to provide precise, well-structured feedback.

Work Terms

• Full-time W-2 employment, 40 hours per week, with an initial 6-month commitment.
• Hybrid role in the Bay Area, California, with on-site work alongside the client team multiple days per week when required.
• This is not a remote role. Candidates must live in the Bay Area or relocate there at their own expense before the engagement begins. Relocation assistance is not available.
• Client-issued accounts and equipment will be provided for work within the client's tools and workflows.

Compensation

$75 to $115 per hour.

Application Process

Apply through the opportunity platform. If selected, employment, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and compliance are administered by the employer of record, with placement on the client's team.

Equal Opportunity

Employment decisions are made without discrimination based on any legally protected characteristic. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans throughout the application process.