Bioinformatics/Computational Biology Expert

Opportunity Overview

Handshake is looking for experienced computational biologists and bioinformatics scientists to support AI research through flexible, part-time contract work. This is not a traditional job — you'll draw on your hands-on experience in genomics, NGS analysis, or computational biology to evaluate AI-generated content and provide feedback that helps AI reason like a practicing computational biologist or bioinformatics scientist.

This is an ongoing, project-based opportunity you can take on alongside your current role.

What You'll Do

Use your domain expertise to create expert-level bioinformatics problems and scenarios grounded in real pipeline design, sequence analysis, and research workflows

Review and evaluate AI-generated responses for technical accuracy, reproducibility, and alignment with how the work is actually done

Provide structured written feedback to help improve AI model performance

Complete tasks at your own pace with no set schedule or minimum hour requirement

Qualifications

Ideal candidates meet all three of the following:

Industry/research experience — a track record of first-author publications and ownership of non-trivial bioinformatics pipelines that frontier AI models cannot reproduce

Degree — PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Genomics, or a comparable quantitative/life sciences discipline. An MS paired with strong industry experience also qualifies

Sub-domain depth — demonstrated expertise in one of the following areas:

NGS/genomics pipelines (BWA, GATK, samtools) and sequence analysis (BLAST, Biopython)

Statistical genetics

Structural biology (PyMOL, AlphaFold)

Candidates who meet at least 2 of the 3 qualifications above are also encouraged to apply.

Additional qualifications (not required, but strengthen your application)

Proficiency with R/Bioconductor and other standard bioinformatics or computational biology software environments

Experience owning end-to-end genomics or NGS/sequencing pipelines in an academic or industry research setting

Required for all applicants

Must have US work authorization

Strong written communication and attention to detail

Ability to explain complex biological concepts clearly

Ability to work independently in a remote, asynchronous environment

Work authorization information

F-1 students who are eligible for CPT or OPT may be eligible for projects on Handshake AI. Work with your Designated School Official to determine your eligibility.  If your school requires a CPT course, Handshake AI may not meet your school’s requirements. STEM OPT is not supported. See our Help Center article for more information on what types of work authorizations are supported on Handshake AI.