About the role

micro1 is looking for a highly skilled Materials Science Expert to contribute to an AI training project involving computational materials science, materials modeling, scientific simulation, and Python.

Create, solve, review, and validate engineering tasks related to material structures, properties, processing, performance, and failure. A representative task may require constructing a material or atomic model, configuring and running a simulation, calculating relevant properties, analyzing outputs, and determining whether the solution is computationally valid and physically meaningful.

Strong materials expertise and experience using engineering or scientific tools programmatically are required. Experience limited exclusively to graphical user interfaces is not sufficient: solutions must be reproducible through code, scripts, configuration files, or command-line tools.

Advertised pay: $80–$130/hour. Compensation is output-based: experts are paid per task that meets project specifications. Completion time varies with experience and workflow, and minimum submission requirements apply.

Experience may come from academic research, national laboratories, industry R&D, computational engineering, or other demonstrated materials work.

Application process: submit your application and screening questions, complete an AI interview of approximately 30 minutes, complete a technical assessment if required, and complete the hiring manager review.

micro1 says it typically fills roles within 48 hours and seeks experts ready to begin immediately. If selected, expect to start your first task within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.

Scope of Work

• Solve and validate computational materials-science and materials-engineering problems.
• Create material structures, atomic configurations, compositions, and solver-ready inputs.
• Model relationships between composition, structure, processing, properties, and performance.
• Run atomistic, electronic-structure, molecular-dynamics, continuum, electrochemical, or related simulations.
• Use Python to generate inputs, automate calculations, conduct parameter sweeps, process results, and validate outputs.
• Analyze mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical, structural, or electrochemical properties.
• Diagnose failed calculations, invalid structures, convergence problems, numerical instability, and incorrect physical assumptions.
• Compare computational results with experimental data, literature values, known properties, or expected physical trends.
• Review AI-generated solutions for scientific correctness and identify invalid assumptions, configurations, or conclusions.
• Develop reproducible reference solutions and objective verification methods.

What you’ll bring

• An MS or PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgy, or a closely related discipline; OR an MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering with a substantial materials specialization.
• Strong understanding of materials behavior and relevant structure-property relationships.
• Experience with computational materials modeling, simulation, characterization, or materials-focused engineering analysis.
• Practical proficiency with Python.
• Experience with at least one engineering or scientific tool operated through a CLI, scripting interface, configuration files, or programmatic API.
• Ability to understand and justify modeling assumptions, parameters, approximations, and convergence criteria.
• Ability to distinguish computational failures from genuine physical behavior.
• Ability to explain complex scientific reasoning and technical limitations clearly.
• Relevant tools include LAMMPS, ASE, pymatgen, Quantum ESPRESSO, FEniCSx, CalculiX, Elmer, PyBaMM, or similar programmatic materials and simulation software. An equivalent CLI-accessible tool is acceptable.
• Relevant Python tools include NumPy, SciPy, pandas, Matplotlib, Jupyter, atomistic modeling packages, materials informatics libraries, or domain-specific scientific tools. No single library is mandatory.

Benefits

Not provided in the source listing.

Schedule and availability

Approximately 15 hours per week. Flexible schedule: choose your working hours and days, including weekends if desired.

Contract & Payment Terms

• Contractor engagement of approximately 15 hours per week.
• Compensation is output-based and paid per task that meets project specifications; the advertised hourly range is not a guaranteed hourly payment.
• Minimum submission requirements apply.

Where you can work

The supplied micro1 posting describes this role as global and fully remote.

The listing states worldwide eligibility. Confirm work authorization with the employer.

Remote does not always mean work from any country. Always check the employer’s location and working-hour requirements.