Hardware Engineering Expert - Remote AI Fellowship
Listing checked September 18, 2026 · pay as published by Handshake AI
Overview
Handshake AI invites engineering graduates with a hardware engineering focus into its year-round fellowship, a remote research community that sharpens Large Language Models (LLMs) in specialized technical fields. Fellows commit about 10 to 20 hours each week and set their own schedule, since the work runs on an async basis. Assignments revolve around writing domain-specific prompts and reviewing model answers for accuracy, clarity, and reasoning. Project placement depends on current need in your subdomain, so start dates and workload shift over time.
What You'll Do5
- 1Create domain-specific prompts that test an LLM on hardware engineering concepts and edge cases.
- 2Review model outputs for technical accuracy, reasoning gaps, and clarity, then document findings.
- 3Research specialized engineering topics with AI tools to build reference material for model improvement.
- 4Work async with AI lab partners and share subject-matter feedback across disciplines.
- 5Track project instructions and adapt to changing domain needs as new assignments open.
Requirements6
- 1Bachelor's degree in industrial, mechanical, aerospace, or materials engineering, or current junior or senior standing in one of those fields.
- 2Enrollment at or graduation from a top 20 U.S. undergraduate institution.
- 3U.S. work or training authorization such as F-1/OPT, J-1, or H-1B.
- 4Readiness for async, remote collaboration with AI research labs.
- 5Confidence that your engineering expertise can surpass current AI systems in explaining core concepts.
- 6Candidates on STEM OPT who need an i-983 cannot join at this time; approved i-983s, pre-grad OPT, CPT, J-1, and H-1B are eligible.
Who Should Apply
The strongest fit is an engineering student or recent graduate from a top 20 undergrad program, with a degree in industrial, mechanical, aerospace, or materials engineering, who can work 10 to 20 hours each week on a self-set schedule. You need U.S. work authorization and comfort with async collaboration with AI labs. Candidates who apply with a degree outside those four fields, or who attended a school outside the top 20, often miss the first screening cut. Another common low-fit signal is an inability to give concrete examples of how your domain expertise beats an LLM at explaining technical concepts. Anyone who needs an i-983 for STEM OPT should skip this listing unless they hold an approved i-983.
Salary Insight
The fellowship pays up to $75.00 per hour. That rate sits near the upper end for part-time, project-based AI training work and matches candidates with specialized engineering credentials from top programs.
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$75/hour
This role
up to $75/hr
Most Machine Learning & AI roles pay $55–$100 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
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- ai evaluation7%
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Compensation
Up to $75/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Lead your application with your engineering subfield and your top 20 undergrad affiliation, since both are hard screens. Quantify any project where you explained a hardware concept better than an AI tool, and state your U.S. work authorization type and availability each week, such as 10 to 20 hours, so reviewers can match you to open projects.
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