Machine Learning Data Science Expert - Remote Contract
Listing checked September 22, 2026 · pay as published by AfterQuery
Overview
AfterQuery, an early-stage Y Combinator-backed company, seeks remote machine learning and data science experts for contract projects. The work matches tasks common to data science, ML engineering, AI research, or analytics roles, and it runs over the next 2 to 3 weeks on your own schedule. Projects arrive one at a time, with a listed baseline of 10 hours a week and expected commitments of 10 to 20 hours per week for accepted work. You will build and evaluate models, develop predictive models, and tune hyperparameter settings while documenting your methods. Pay starts at $60 per hour and can reach $100 per hour, and the project format helps you add real-world ML work to your portfolio.
What You'll Do4
- 1Build, train, and assess machine learning models for different business applications.
- 2Create predictive models with supervised and unsupervised learning methods.
- 3Improve model results by tuning hyperparameters and engineering features.
- 4Write clear documentation that covers methodologies, model assumptions, and technical approaches.
Requirements6
- 11 to 3 years of professional experience in data science, machine learning, or a related field.
- 2A master's degree in computer science, statistics, mathematics, data science, or another quantitative area.
- 3At least one first-author publication or work that matches a first-author contribution.
- 4A record of solving technical problems on your own.
- 5Preferred: experience as a teaching assistant for machine learning, data science, or applied statistics courses.
- 6Preferred: a background in programming and empirical analysis shown through teaching or coursework.
Who Should Apply
The candidate who fits this contract holds a master's degree in a quantitative field and brings 1 to 3 years of professional data science or machine learning work. A first-author publication or comparable first-author contribution matters, so applicants without that evidence often score lower on fit. You should show you can solve technical tasks on your own, since the role is asynchronous and project-based. People who need daily direction, prefer long-term full-time schedules, or lack documented research output will find this assignment a poor match. If you have TA experience in machine learning or applied statistics, highlight it because the listing marks that background as preferred.
Salary Insight
AfterQuery lists project-based pay from $60 to $100 per hour. That range fits contract machine learning and data science work that calls for a master's degree, 1 to 3 years of experience, and a first-author publication, so the upper end rewards candidates who can show research depth.
Pay and demand for Machine Learning & AI roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$75/hour
This role
$60–$100/hr
Most Machine Learning & AI roles pay $52–$100 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
Based on 559 similar roles that publish pay · 97 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave
Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.
- Live similar roles
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- Listed in last 30 days
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- 97%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (288) · Mercor (81) · SME Careers (64)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- python17%
- technical writing9%
- llm evaluation7%
- data annotation7%
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Compensation
$60–100/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
List every programming language you use in your application, because the process requires it. Pair each language with a project where you built or evaluated a model, and name the libraries or frameworks you used. Add your first-author publication and any TA work in machine learning or applied statistics to show you meet the preferred bar.
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