Organic Chemist: AI Synthesis Pathway Validation (part-time)

Elio.Earth
Elio.Earth

Software Engineering, Data Science

Remote

EUR 30-30 / hour + Equity

Posted 6+ months ago

Interested? Apply here: ‣

Join us on our mission to make sustainable manufacturing the norm.

80% of the final environmental impact of a product is determined by its manufacturing process design. However, scientists and engineers have no sophisticated tools that allow them to consider and optimise the sustainability of these processes that, once set, are run thousands of times over decades.

Our first focus is the 5th most emissions-intensive industry globally: pharmaceuticals. We are building an end-to-end process design platform, that allows scientists and process engineers to effortlessly consider more sustainable alternatives to their consumable products and the process design itself. Backed by industry leaders like Stefan Oschmann (former CEO of Merck KGaA) and top venture firms like Ananda Impact Ventures, we're bringing cutting-edge solutions to advance sustainability in pharma.

We are looking for an expert organic chemist to join our mission — someone who can help validate and improve our AI's understanding of industrial synthesis pathways. You'll play a crucial role in building the foundation for more sustainable chemical manufacturing.

You will join …

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Kami - CEO (center): Kami has been focused on climate change since age 8, when he wrote to President Lula of Brasil imploring him to protect the Amazon. He studied Bioengineering at Harvard and led novel HIV research at MIT, later advising pharma companies on multi-billion dollar biopharma acquisitions.

Kamil - CTO (left): Prior to Elio, Kamil spent 10 years building 2 successfully exited startups in big data; first as 3rd employee and next as cofounder/CTO. He graduated from the top CompSci program in Canada at the University of Waterloo.

Raul - Founding NLP Eng. (right): Raul has been specialising in ML engineering for the last 8 years, bringing a diverse experience in computer vision, NLP, and more. In his last role, he headed the ML team at Kalido, and prior to that, launched his own ML company.

You are …

  • Highly Qualified: A current PhD student or Postdoc in Organic Chemistry (or related field), OR hold a Master's degree with significant organic synthesis experience
  • Industry-Focused: You have a strong understanding of organic synthesis, particularly industrial chemical processes and considerations
  • Research-Savvy: You're proficient with chemical literature and databases, with excellent analytical skills
  • Detail-Oriented: You have a keen eye for accuracy and take pride in thorough validation work
  • Tech-Comfortable: You're adept at using web-based tools and comfortable working with digital interfaces
  • Independent & Communicative: You're self-motivated, organized, and can communicate effectively in English

    • You will … shape the future of sustainable chemical manufacturing

    This is a flexible, part-time role (2-8 hours/week) where you'll directly influence how our AI understands and optimizes chemical synthesis pathways. Your expertise will become the foundation for more sustainable manufacturing processes.

    You will work on …

  • AI Output Validation: Review AI-generated synthesis data through our annotation interface, including inputs, outputs, catalysts, and conditions
  • Data Correction & Augmentation: Identify and fix inaccuracies in chemical data and process conditions, creating gold-standard datasets for our AI models
  • Industrial Relevance Assessment: Evaluate the industrial prevalence of pathways, provide justifications, and suggest common industrial alternatives
  • Literature Research: Use chemical databases to verify information and ensure accuracy
  • Feedback Collection: Help improve our AI by identifying patterns in its outputs and suggesting improvements

    • Benefits and Perks

  • Flexible working hours (2-8 hours/week)
  • Fully remote work arrangement
  • Competitive hourly rate (€30 EUR/hour)
  • Direct impact on AI development in chemistry
  • Work at the cutting edge of sustainable manufacturing
  • Join a mission-driven team making real environmental impact

    • Benefits and Perks

  • A small, fast-paced, highly focused team
  • High potential for growth & high level of ownership from the start
  • Generous stock option package
  • Flexible working hours
  • Flexibility on location (within Europe)
  • Escape the rigidity of big corporations but work closely enough to shape them from the inside out
  • Build a network in the industry and amongst Elio's circle of investors
  • Work with a team that knows how to have fun, while solving one of the biggest challenges of our time

    • FAQ

    What's your motivation for Elio?

    We wondered: “If the manufacturing world is creating so many sustainable alternatives, why are companies not using them to make more sustainable products?” What we learned after 100+ interviews with scientists and R&D operators is that leaders don’t know what to do. They have committed to ambitious climate goals with no concrete path to achieve them. There are a growing variety of sustainable products and solutions, but evaluating their feasibility is a complex, time-consuming process that requires a lot of expertise. Most experts in the industry don’t have that time to spare. What if you knew for every process design decision what the most sustainable alternative approach was? We want to make this a reality.

    Funding?

    We’ve raised a $2 million pre-seed round led by Ananda Impact Ventures. The round also includes Stefan Oschmann (former CEO of Merck KGaA), Andreas Treichl (former CEO of Erste Group), Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Patrick Nathen (co-founder of Lilium), and others.

    See here for some coverage: EU Startups (English) and brutkasten (German).

    Can I work from anywhere?

    This is a fully remote position and you can work from anywhere in the world. Collaboration will be primarily asynchronous through our digital tools, with occasional video calls for check-ins and project updates. No travel is required for this role.

    What's the typical workflow?

    You'll receive AI-generated synthesis pathways via our online platform for your review and annotation on a flexible weekly basis. You can choose when to complete the work within agreed-upon deadlines.

    Can this role evolve into a deeper collaboration?

    Absolutely! We're always looking for talented individuals who share our passion for transforming pharma and driving sustainability. For candidates who demonstrate exceptional skills and alignment with our mission, we're very open to exploring expanded responsibilities and potentially full-time roles. You can check our ‣ for other current opportunities.

    What if I don't meet all requirements?

    We encourage you to apply! If you're passionate about sustainable chemistry and have relevant experience, we'd love to hear from you. The most important factor is your expertise and enthusiasm for the mission.

    We’re proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All hires to our team are based on qualifications, merit and business needs. We recruit, employ, train and promote regardless of race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, genetic characteristic or any other protected status.

    See more open positions at Elio.Earth