Condensed Matter Physics PhD - Remote Research
Listing checked September 25, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
Mercor seeks physicists for CritPt, a public benchmark of research-level physics challenges that probes whether frontier AI models can handle real physics research rather than textbook exercises. The benchmark paper is arXiv:2509.26574, and reading it before applying gives a fast read on whether the work suits you. Assignments center on problems in your own subfield and may involve creating problems, solving them, reviewing completed work, or auditing it. Every deliverable must let another specialist follow and verify the reasoning, so clear written arguments matter as much as the final answer.
What You'll Do8
- 1Develop original problems tied to one of the listed condensed matter phenomena and the methods it requires.
- 2Solve assigned problems and record each step in LaTeX-ready form so another specialist can verify the work.
- 3Review completed solutions from other physicists and flag gaps in derivations, assumptions, or conclusions.
- 4Audit existing work against published methods and the benchmark standards.
- 5Agree your area and task scope with Mercor after your publication record is matched.
- 6Write explanations that a specialist in the same subfield can follow without extra context.
- 7Use Python, SymPy, Jupyter, and LaTeX to support derivations and numerical checks.
- 8Sustain a 10-hour commitment each week across an 8 to 10 week window.
Requirements9
- 1PhD in condensed matter physics or a related field. Mercor treats this as a hard requirement.
- 2Published work on one of the 19 specific phenomena in the panel, not an adjacent topic.
- 3Three to five representative papers with arXiv IDs or DOIs, with preference for work from the last five years.
- 4First-author papers carry the most weight.
- 5Command of at least one method family: field theory, many-body numerics, band theory and topology, response and transport, or scattering and symmetry analysis.
- 6Working proficiency with LaTeX, Python, SymPy, and Jupyter.
- 7Familiarity with an agentic coding extension in VS Code is useful but not required.
- 8English at B2 or above, including written reasoning.
- 9Postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, junior faculty, and senior PhD students with a strong first-author record are the strongest fit.
Who Should Apply
The ideal candidate holds a PhD in condensed matter physics and has first-author papers on one of the 19 listed phenomena, with methods such as bosonization, DQMC, or magnetic space groups appearing in their own publications. Postdocs, research scientists, junior faculty, and advanced PhD students with a strong record fit best. This role is less suitable for physicists who work across condensed matter but lack papers on the exact model or effect in the panel. The most common rejection reason is publishing on an adjacent topic rather than the specific phenomenon, even when the methods match. Another common low-fit signal is a publication list without arXiv IDs or DOIs, or papers where the applicant is not an author.
Salary Insight
The rate range is $80 to $110 per hour, set by how deep your subdomain match runs. That level aligns with PhD-holding specialists doing focused, part-time research tasks rather than volume annotation work. Ten hours per week over an 8 to 10 week window, remote and asynchronous with no fixed hours.
Location
Compensation
$80–110/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
In the form, select only the panel areas where you have a first-author paper on that exact phenomenon, and include the arXiv ID or DOI with your author position and the methods it demonstrates. One precise match beats five broad selections with no proof.
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