Remote Materials Science Expert — AI Research & Domain Evaluation

ZR Talent Group is recruiting a qualified Remote Materials Science Expert — AI Research & Domain Evaluation for a 100% remote contract opportunity ($80 - $150/hour) open to candidates across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa. In this specialist engagement, you will collaborate with advanced AI research teams to design domain-specific evaluation scenarios, audit complex model reasoning, and establish gold-standard reference solutions in Python, Materials Science.

Prior experience building machine learning systems is not required—our research partners value authentic practitioner judgment, domain rigor, and clear analytical writing.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Solve and validate computational materials-science and materials-engineering problems.
• Create material structures, atomic configurations, compositions, and solver-ready inputs.
• Model relationships between composition, structure, processing, properties, and performance.
• Run atomistic, electronic-structure, molecular-dynamics, continuum, electrochemical, or related simulations.
• Use Python to generate inputs, automate calculations, conduct parameter sweeps, process results, and validate outputs.

Required Qualifications & Technical Criteria

• An MS or PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgy, or a closely related discipline; or
• An MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering with a substantial materials specialization.
• Strong understanding of materials behavior and relevant structure-property relationships.
• Practical background using computational materials modeling, simulation, characterization, or materials-focused engineering analysis.
• Experience using coding agents and Python.
• Relevant tools may include LAMMPS, ASE, pymatgen, Quantum ESPRESSO, FEniCSx, CalculiX, Elmer, PyBaMM, or similar programmatic materials and simulation software. Experience with an equivalent CLI-accessible tool is acceptable.
• Relevant Python tools may include NumPy, SciPy, pandas, Matplotlib, Jupyter, atomistic modeling packages, materials informatics libraries, or domain-specific scientific tools. No single library is mandatory.
• Experience may come from academic research, national laboratories, industry R&D, computational engineering, or other demonstrated materials work.
• Process
• Apply to the role and complete the screening questions.
• Complete an AI interview of approximately 30 minutes.
• Complete the hiring manager review.
• Compensation Structure
• Compensation is output-based. Experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required to complete each task may vary depending on the expert’s experience and workflow.
• Minimum submission requirements apply.
• Start Timeline & Availability
• We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts who are ready to begin immediately. If selected, you will be expected to start your first task within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.

Compensation, Remote Eligibility & Schedule

• Compensation Band: $80 - $150/hour
• Work Model: 100% Remote / Work From Home with flexible asynchronous scheduling
• Eligible Remote Locations: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa
• Current Openings: 100 active specialist positions
• Hiring Organization: ZR Talent Group
• Core Skills & Technologies: Python, Materials Science