Remote | Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Discovery Scientist — $50–$80/hour

We are sharing a specialised part-time consulting opportunity for experienced drug discovery scientists with deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, mechanistic enzymology, structure-guided molecular design, fragment-based discovery, or related pharmaceutical R&D disciplines. This role focuses on designing realistic, scientifically rigorous research problems built around complex and incomplete evidence. Selected experts will create research challenges, assemble source-grounded scientific data, establish objective grading criteria, and validate tasks so that successful solutions require genuine scientific reasoning rather than straightforward information retrieval. Key Responsibilities Drug Discovery Problem Design Develop realistic and technically challenging research problems within drug discovery and development Design tasks that require integration of incomplete, indirect, or potentially misleading scientific evidence Establish a defensible scientific conclusion supported by the available evidence Ensure problems require genuine mechanistic and analytical reasoning Design challenges that cannot be solved through simple pattern matching or factual lookup Scientific Evidence Development Assemble structured data rooms using real, source-grounded scientific information Ensure decisive values, observations, and experimental evidence can be traced to credible sources Select evidence that supports rigorous analysis while preserving appropriate scientific ambiguity Construct evidence chains that lead to a defensible conclusion Maintain scientific consistency across all task materials Medicinal Chemistry & Molecular Design Develop problems involving structure-based medicinal chemistry Evaluate molecular structure, binding, activity, selectivity, and optimisation considerations where relevant Apply structure–activity reasoning to complex discovery scenarios Assess whether proposed interpretations are chemically and mechanistically defensible Incorporate realistic drug discovery constraints into research tasks Mechanistic Enzymology Create and evaluate problems involving enzyme mechanisms, kinetics, inhibition, and biochemical evidence Integrate experimental observations into mechanistic reasoning Assess competing hypotheses using available data Identify evidence required to distinguish plausible mechanisms Apply rigorous biochemical judgement to conclusions Structure-Guided Peptide & Antibody Design Develop research challenges involving structure-guided peptide or antibody design Evaluate molecular interactions, structural constraints, and experimental evidence Assess proposed design decisions for scientific plausibility Integrate structural and functional information into task design Create problems requiring meaningful interpretation rather than direct retrieval Fragment-Based Discovery Design scenarios involving fragment identification, validation, and progression Evaluate evidence supporting binding, structural interpretation, and compound development Incorporate realistic uncertainty and competing experimental signals Assess whether conclusions are appropriately supported by available evidence Apply practical discovery-science judgement throughout task development Grading Framework Development Create detailed grading documents for each research challenge Define criteria that evaluate the substance and scientific reasoning of submitted solutions Establish objective expectations for key findings and conclusions Distinguish scientifically meaningful reasoning from stylistic differences Ensure grading criteria accurately reflect the evidence provided Task Validation & Calibration Run verification and calibration before submitting completed research tasks Confirm that intended conclusions are supported by the evidence Identify unintended shortcuts, ambiguities, or alternative interpretations Evaluate task difficulty and scientific robustness Refine tasks where validation reveals weaknesses or inconsistencies Scientific Quality Ownership Serve as the subject-matter authority for scientific and difficulty-related decisions within assigned tasks Review feedback and revise materials when required Defend scientific conclusions using evidence and domain expertise Maintain rigorous standards across prompts, evidence packages, and grading materials Ensure final tasks are internally consistent and scientifically credible Ideal Profile PhD or equivalent industry track record in medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, structural biology, pharmaceutical sciences, or a closely related discipline Deep working expertise in at least one of the following: Mechanistic enzymology Structure-guided peptide or antibody design Fragment-based drug discovery Structure-based medicinal chemistry Strong experience interpreting complex experimental evidence within drug discovery research Ability to construct scientific problems whose conclusions can be rigorously defended Strong judgement when evaluating the quality of scientific reasoning rather than only final answers Comfortable working with complex, incomplete, and potentially conflicting scientific information Strong research, analytical, and technical writing skills Able to work independently and take ownership of scientific task quality Comfortable using browser-based research and development tools Engagement Details Part-time independent contractor engagement Fully remote Minimum commitment of 20 hours per week , with opportunities for up to 40 hours per week Compensation: $50–$80/hour Work focuses on drug discovery research, scientific problem design, evidence development, grading frameworks, and task validation Required project-specific software or subscription access is reimbursed where applicable Projects may be extended, shortened, or concluded based on project needs and performance Work must be completed without using confidential or proprietary information belonging to any employer, client, institution, or other third party H1-B and STEM OPT support is unavailable for this engagement About the Platform This opportunity is available through 24-MAG LLC. 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