Clinical, Microbiome & Translational Research Scientist (PhD)

$45–90/hr

rate as listed

Workload: ~15h/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: Sciences

Design expert scientific problems and assess AI-generated reasoning across microbiome, metagenomics, clinical bioinformatics, and translational research. The work includes writing reference answers and rubrics, identifying subtle scientific errors, and revising contributions through peer review.

What the work involves

You will create difficult, verifiable scientific problems in microbiome and translational research, then develop reference answers and scoring rubrics grounded in primary literature and established methods. Day-to-day tasks may involve assessing 16S or shotgun metagenomics workflows, clinical genomics, virome and host-microbiome analyses, biomarker studies, or omics-driven precision medicine, as well as reviewing model responses for methodological and statistical errors.

What the platform screens for

The screening is likely to test whether you can describe specific research contributions, defend analytical choices under follow-up, and distinguish a plausible answer from a scientifically rigorous one. Expect questions about study design, confounding, validation, high-dimensional statistics, literature support, and how you would score partially correct model output.

Languages and technical context

Professional written and spoken English (C1 or higher) is required. Programming: Python and/or R (required in practice). Bash is preferred, alongside workflow tools and relevant platforms such as QIIME2, Kraken2, MetaPhlAn, HUMAnN, MAG assembly and binning methods, TCGA, or UK Biobank.

Logistics

This is a remote (worldwide) contractor role. The listing does not specify typical weekly hours or confirm that all collaboration is asynchronous, so candidates should clarify workload, deadlines, and review cadence during onboarding. The platform listing reports the observed compensation below, which is not guaranteed.

Pay band: $45–90/hr

What they look for

computational chemistry
molecular simulations
python
gaussian
gromacs
lammps
amber
orca
psi4
cheminformatics
electronic structure methods
scientific software configuration
molecular dynamics
drug discovery
ai/ml-assisted chemistry workflows
quantitative analysis
analytical reasoning
scientific programming
written communication
verbal communication
documentation
problem-solving

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: This tests whether your claimed expertise can be tied to a defined research question, named methods, concrete outputs, and your own contribution rather than the laboratory's collective work.
A strong answer: Give the biological question, study design, samples or datasets, analytical methods, and principal result, then separate your individual responsibilities from collaborators' work. Include a publication, thesis chapter, repository, or other verifiable output where applicable.
Where people lose it: Candidates lose points when they summarize the laboratory's research area but cannot identify which analyses, experiments, or decisions they personally completed.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.