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