Organic Chemistry & Chemical Threat Subject Matter Expert (SME)
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About 10a Labs: 10a Labs is the safety and threat-intelligence layer trusted by frontier AI labs, AI unicorns, Fortune 10 companies, and leading global technology platforms. Our adversarial red teaming, model evaluations, and intelligence collection enable engineering, safety, and security teams to stay ahead of evolving threats and deploy AI systems safely.
Location & Travel Expectations
We are primarily seeking candidates based in the Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, and Denver metropolitan areas. Candidates hired in these locations will be expected to work from a 10a Labs office at least two days per week.
All new hires will participate in in-person onboarding in Washington, DC, New York City, or San Francisco during their first week. Occasional travel may also be required for interviews, in-person meetings, and other business needs.
About the Role
We are seeking an Organic Chemistry & Chemical Threat Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support technical research, AI safety evaluations, and chemical threat assessments.
This role is ideal for a scientist with a strong foundation in organic chemistry, chemical synthesis, and dual-use chemical research who is interested in applying their expertise to emerging challenges at the intersection of artificial intelligence and chemical security.
You will evaluate complex scientific information, assess the technical feasibility of chemical synthesis approaches, and help identify potential safety and security risks associated with AI-enabled chemistry tools. You'll collaborate with researchers, engineers, and technical experts to strengthen AI evaluation methodologies and contribute to research focused on understanding and mitigating chemical threats.
What You'll Do
- Evaluate AI-generated chemistry content for scientific accuracy, technical feasibility, and potential safety or security risks.
- Assess organic synthesis approaches, reaction pathways, and chemical processes through the lens of chemical safety and dual-use risk.
- Support AI safety evaluations involving chemical threats, chemical weapons proliferation, and other chemical security concerns.
- Analyze the capabilities and limitations of AI-enabled chemistry tools, including molecular design, retrosynthesis, reaction prediction, and synthesis planning.
- Identify potential failure modes, scientific inaccuracies, and areas of concern in AI-generated chemical information.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop evaluation criteria, research methodologies, and technical assessments.
- Document findings and communicate complex scientific concepts clearly to both technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
What We're Looking For
- Advanced degree in Organic Chemistry, Synthetic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a closely related scientific discipline. M.S. or Ph.D. preferred.
- Demonstrated knowledge or experience in dual-use chemistry, chemical threats, chemical weapons proliferation, or chemical safety and security.
- Strong technical understanding of organic synthesis, reaction mechanisms, chemical characterization, and synthetic pathways.
- Experience evaluating the scientific accuracy, practicality, and feasibility of chemical synthesis approaches.
- Ability to critically assess complex scientific information, identify technical risks, and provide well-supported conclusions.
- Strong analytical, research, and technical communication skills.
- Ability to work independently on complex, open-ended scientific problems while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
Nice to Have
- Experience using or evaluating AI-driven chemistry tools, including molecular modeling, AI-assisted molecular design, retrosynthesis, reaction prediction, or synthesis planning.
- Familiarity with large language models (LLMs), AI safety evaluations, or adversarial testing of AI systems.
- Experience in chemical threat assessment, chemical defense, nonproliferation research, or related national security initiatives.
- Background in computational chemistry, cheminformatics, or AI/ML applications in chemical research.
- Experience developing scientific evaluation frameworks, research benchmarks, or technical risk assessments.
Contract Details
- Duration: Per Needed Basis
- Commitment: Dependent on work load
- Location: Remote – United States
- Employment Type: Contract
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