Materials Science Engineering Jobs in California

Materials Science Domain Expert

Position: Materials Science Domain Expert

Type: Full-Time W-2 Employment

Compensation: $70–$110/hour

Location: Hybrid

About the Opportunity

Cincinnatus LLC is hiring a senior Materials Science Domain Expert to work directly with the research and program management teams of a leading AI lab. The role focuses on improving how frontier AI models reason about real-world materials science and materials engineering problems.

Your materials expertise will be central to the role. You will evaluate the quality of materials science knowledge-work tasks and model outputs, create detailed instruction specifications and gold-standard solutions, and develop benchmarks that measure whether AI systems are genuinely improving.

This is a full-time W-2 employment position with Cincinnatus LLC, with the opportunity to be placed within a leading AI lab's extended workforce. You will receive client-issued accounts and equipment and work within the client's tools alongside their research teams.

This is a hybrid, non-remote position. Candidates must currently live in the Bay Area and be able to work on-site with the client's team multiple days each week when required. Candidates outside the Bay Area must be willing to relocate at their own expense before the engagement begins. Relocation assistance is not provided.

Responsibilities

• Review and evaluate the quality of materials science knowledge-work tasks and AI-generated outputs.
• Identify missing behaviors, weak reasoning, unsupported structure-property claims, and technically inaccurate conclusions.
• Assess whether AI-generated answers can withstand professional materials science and engineering scrutiny.
• Write detailed instruction specifications that define expected approaches and evaluation standards.
• Develop gold-standard solutions for complex materials science problems.
• Create new materials science tasks that accurately reflect real-world professional workflows.
• Design challenging evaluation sets and domain-specific benchmarks for AI model assessment.
• Help develop materials-specific capabilities, skills, and tools in collaboration with AI research teams.
• Work with researchers and specialists in adjacent technical disciplines to maintain consistent evaluation standards.
• Translate expert materials science judgment and tacit knowledge into explicit, teachable criteria.
• Provide precise, structured written feedback on model performance and technical reasoning.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, or a closely related discipline, such as:
• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Applied Physics
• Metallurgy
• A Master's degree with exceptional industrial depth may be considered.
• At least 4 years of substantive research or industrial R&D experience in materials science or materials engineering.
• Experience at a research university, national laboratory, or industrial research organization.
• Graduate coursework alone does not count toward the required experience.
• Demonstrated specialization in at least one materials science area.
• Clear progression to a senior-level position with meaningful ownership of research direction.
• Hands-on professional use of large language models.
• Ability to distinguish technically well-reasoned answers from plausible but incorrect AI-generated responses.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Ability to provide precise, well-structured technical feedback.
• Availability to commit 40 hours per week for an initial 6-month engagement.
• Must currently live in the Bay Area, California, or be willing to relocate there at personal expense.
• Must be able to work on-site with the client multiple days per week when required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Peer-reviewed publications in materials science or related disciplines.
• Granted patents or demonstrated ownership of significant materials programs.
• Experience developing or evaluating technical benchmarks.
• Experience translating complex technical expertise into structured evaluation criteria.
• Experience collaborating across materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, or AI research teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in research direction, technical strategy, or industrial R&D.

Key Areas of Expertise

Candidates should have genuine specialization in at least one of the following areas:

• Energy storage and battery materials
• Semiconductor and electronic materials
• Polymers and soft matter
• Structural alloys and metallurgy
• Materials characterization and microscopy
• Computational materials science and simulation
• Materials engineering and industrial R&D
• Materials-property relationships and technical analysis

Seniority Expectations

Strong candidates may have progressed into roles such as:

• Senior Scientist
• Staff Scientist
• Research Lead
• Principal Investigator
• Senior Industrial R&D Scientist
• Comparable senior materials science or engineering leadership roles

The role requires real ownership of research direction, not simply participation in graduate-level research.

Compensation

• $70–$110 per hour
• Full-time W-2 employment through Cincinnatus LLC.
• Initial engagement of approximately 6 months.
• Expected commitment of 40 hours per week.
• Client-issued accounts and equipment provided for the engagement.

Location & Work Arrangement

• Bay Area, California
• Hybrid — not remote
• On-site collaboration with the client's team may be required multiple days each week.
• Candidates currently outside the Bay Area must relocate before the engagement begins.
• Relocation assistance is not provided.

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities.

Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to support high-impact initiatives.

These positions are structured as role-based employment rather than freelance or project-based work, with part-time or full-time commitments and integration into standard enterprise workflows.

Cincinnatus LLC is legally separate from Mercor. While opportunities may be discovered through Mercor's platform, employment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits are administered by Cincinnatus LLC.

Eligibility

• Must meet the required education and professional experience criteria.
• Must demonstrate genuine specialization in materials science or a closely related discipline.
• Must have professional experience in research or industrial R&D.
• Must be proficient in written technical communication.
• Must have professional experience using large language models.
• Must be available for 40 hours per week for the initial engagement.
• Must live in the Bay Area, California, or be willing to relocate at personal expense.
• Must be able to meet the hybrid on-site requirements.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The company considers qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals throughout the application process.