Synthetic / Process Chemist

What you would do

• Write challenging single-turn prompts across benign, dual-use, and adversarial difficulty levels
• Evaluate AI responses against defined policy standards to judge correctness of each response
• Create reference answers demonstrating what correct judgment and reasoning look like
• Identify cases where AI incorrectly refuses legitimate questions or fails to refuse dangerous ones
• Write detailed rationales explaining technical reasoning behind each policy decision

Who they want

• Hands-on experience running reactions and scaling from bench through pilot to plant level
• Deep knowledge of which chemistry requests are ordinary process chemistry versus misuse-adjacent
• Clear written communication ability - must articulate technical judgment for non-chemist policy teams
• Comfort with ambiguous tasks and willingness to flag unclear instructions or judgment edge cases
• Track record of authoring documentation or serving as a technical consultant on complex matters

Main skills

What the interview asks about

1. 1.Dual-Use Boundary Judgment

   Process chemists must reliably distinguish routine professional questions from requests fishing for controlled-synthesis information where the same knowledge serves both purposes; this judgment prevents trained AI from conflating them.

   For example: “A question asks about impurity profiles during a reaction scale-up, which is routine quality work but could also help someone identify how a clandestine synthesis occurred. How would you evaluate whether an AI should answer this?”

2. 2.Scale-up Complexity Recognition

   Scale-up chemistry introduces new variables and hazards compared to bench work; experts evaluate whether AI recognizes scaling questions as legitimate process work versus requests seeking shortcuts in controlled-substance precursor synthesis.

   For example: “Someone asks how heat transfer changes from a 5L flask to a 500L reactor and whether reaction time extends proportionally. Is this a legitimate process engineering question or fishing for something else? How would you frame a reference answer?”

3. 3.GMP and Safety Understanding

   Professional chemistry operates within regulatory and safety frameworks; experts assess whether AI demonstrates understanding of why these frameworks exist and how they affect what can be discussed openly in professional contexts.

   For example: “A question asks about bypassing specific GMP validation steps to speed up a scale-up project timeline. How would you evaluate this and explain to AI why shortcuts that violate safety protocols aren't legitimate process questions?”

4. 4.Precursor and Reagent Knowledge

   Chemists know which reagents and precursors are heavily regulated and why; experts evaluate whether AI appropriately handles questions about sourcing restricted materials in professional contexts.

   For example: “Someone asks about alternative suppliers for a restricted precursor because their normal vendor requires extensive paperwork. How would you judge whether this is a legitimate business question or fishing for unvetted sourcing?”

5. 5.Technical Reasoning Clarity

   Clear explanation of chemistry judgment ensures that trained AI doesn't simply memorize decision patterns but understands the technical and safety principles underlying proper dual-use boundaries.

   For example: “You recommend refusing a question about reaction mechanism details for a synthesis. How would you explain the technical reasoning so AI learns why that knowledge matters beyond just mechanics?”

A task you may get

Write three prompts in your chemistry area - one benign, one dual-use, one adversarial. For each, provide a rejected AI response, explain why it's incorrect, and write the reference answer showing proper judgment.

How to prepare

• Identify 3-4 recent chemistry papers or process developments in your area and consider where AI should appropriately engage versus decline
• Review regulatory frameworks (DEA, CWC, export control) relevant to your chemistry subfield and think about how they affect professional communication
• Prepare 2-3 examples of questions you've encountered where the technical answer changes depending on context or who's asking
• Draft a writing sample demonstrating your ability to explain complex chemistry clearly to non-specialists

The facts

Pay

$65–75/task

Hours

Task based

Where

Remote

Field

Life, Physical, and Social Science

Project name

Neon

Posted

9/14/2026

Places left

100

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