Research and development

STEM Expert – Chemistry & Computational Chemistry (PhD)

Hyper Lychee Labs

New Zealand4 days ago
ContractEntry level

What the role involves

  • Designing chemistry problems
  • Analyzing chemical data
  • Guiding AI models

What they ask for

PhD in chemistry or a related field; hands-on research lab experience or extensive simulation-heavy research; deep expertise in a listed area; professional written and spoken English at C1 or higher; proficiency in Python and/or industry-standard tools in your subfield

  • Doctorate

About the job

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Remote (Worldwide)

Job Summary: In this role, you’ll apply your expertise to help train next-generation AI systems. Your work will shape how models learn, reason, and perform through high-quality, real-world input.

Key Responsibilities:

  1. Design, evaluate, and critique chemistry and computational chemistry problems, workflows, and reasoning chains to support AI benchmarking initiatives.
  2. Provide expert-level insights on reaction mechanisms, synthesis planning, spectroscopy analysis, molecular simulations, and electronic structure methods.
  3. Assess and optimize experimental protocols, simulation parameters, and software configurations for accuracy and reproducibility.
  4. Analyze chemical, spectroscopic, and simulation data and provide actionable recommendations.
  5. Leverage domain knowledge to guide the development and validation of chemistry-related AI models and tools.
  6. Communicate complex scientific concepts clearly, both in writing and verbally, to technical and non-technical collaborators.
  7. Document findings, methodologies, and best practices to ensure knowledge transfer across the customer’s team.

Areas of Expertise (we welcome applicants from any of the following):

  1. Organic synthesis & reaction mechanisms
  2. Inorganic & organometallic chemistry
  3. Physical & theoretical chemistry
  4. Analytical chemistry & spectroscopy
  5. Computational chemistry & molecular dynamics
  6. Cheminformatics & drug discovery
  7. Materials science & polymer chemistry

Required Skills and Qualifications:

  1. PhD in chemistry, computational chemistry, chemical biology, materials science, or a closely related field.
  2. Hands-on research lab experience, including wet lab experience for experimental subfields, or extensive simulation-heavy research for computational subfields.
  3. Deep expertise in at least one of the areas listed above.
  4. Professional written and spoken English (C1 or higher).
  5. Proficiency in Python and/or industry-standard tools in your subfield (e.g., Gaussian, ORCA, Psi4, GROMACS, LAMMPS, RDKit).
  6. Excellent quantitative, analytical, and scientific reasoning skills.
  7. Outstanding written and verbal communication abilities, with the ability to clearly document and explain technical concepts.
  8. Track record of rigorous scientific problem-solving in complex chemistry domains.

Preferred Qualifications:

  1. Academic experience (postdoc, research scientist, faculty, or equivalent), strongly preferred.
  2. Peer-reviewed publications, patents, or contributions to open-source scientific software.
  3. Experience with AI/ML-assisted chemistry workflows or benchmarking.
  4. Background in drug discovery, reaction prediction, or retrosynthesis.

Applying for this job

What to show on your CV

  • It asks for this qualification: Doctorate. Name yours exactly as it's awarded, with the year you finished.
  • It names Python, Gaussian, ORCA, Psi4, GROMACS and LAMMPS. Use the same words on your CV for the ones you've used, so a search finds them.
  • For the work it describes, like "Designing chemistry problems", give an example from your own experience, with a result you can talk about at an interview.

Our guides to the New Zealand CV format, cover letters and interview questions cover the rest.

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