Computational Biology & Cheminformatics Expert

What you'll do

This is the most engineering-heavy of micro1's drug-discovery listings. Alongside the familiar science work (curating and validating datasets from ChEMBL, PubChem and DrugBank, weighing compound-target interactions, ADMET properties and lead optimisation, advising on SAR and SPR), you build benchmark tasks that run as code: terminal or CLI environments that mimic a real computational drug discovery problem, packaged in Docker with automated tests proving each task is correct and solvable.

The combination matters because the customer wants tasks an AI agent can attempt end to end in a sandbox, and someone has to know both what a realistic virtual screening or QSAR problem looks like and how to make it reproducible. You also review AI-generated outputs and write detailed feedback on scientific rigour.

Who fits

• Deep expertise in computational biology, cheminformatics, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry or similar; a PhD, MSc or PharmD is valued but not strictly required
• Python beyond notebooks: you have built tools, pipelines or tested code, and you use Git, GitHub and Docker
• Hands-on use of RDKit, KNIME, Schrödinger, OpenEye or MOE
• A track record in small-molecule discovery, SAR or QSAR evaluation, ADMET prediction or virtual screening
• Comfort integrating public bioactivity databases
• Familiarity with AI coding assistants is a plus

What it pays

$80–110/hour, micro1's published band. That is a lower ceiling than the Bioinformatics Scientist and Computational Biology Expert listings ($90–120), even though this one asks for more software engineering; the difference may reflect the relaxed degree requirement. No pay structure, hours or duration are stated.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Degree not strictly required if the track record is there
• Rare chance to combine drug-discovery science with building agent benchmarks
• 50 openings, flagged high demand
• Tooling list is concrete, so you can judge your fit quickly

Less good:

• Asks for more than its siblings (Docker, test pipelines) for a lower ceiling
• Building solvable, tested tasks takes longer than it sounds
• No hours, duration or pay mechanism published
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal about two months before we read it on 24 September 2026. The band, openings and tooling list come from that listing; no country restriction is stated. Payment schedule and visa terms are not published on the ad. See micro1.