Inorganic Materials, Semiconductor & Superconductor Experts | $84/hr Remote
Overview
Mercor is looking for hands-on experimental scientists and engineers with deep expertise in inorganic materials, superconductors, or semiconductors to support an AI research lab focused on materials science. You'll apply your specialized scientific knowledge to create, organize, and assess the data that trains advanced models — directly influencing how those models reason about materials and devices.
What You'll Do6
- 1Bring your domain knowledge in synthesis, characterization, fabrication, and device physics to help build high-quality training and evaluation datasets.
- 2Review AI-generated scientific reasoning, spot errors, and improve its technical accuracy.
- 3Create and work through difficult, expert-level problems tailored to your specialty.
- 4Evaluate and rank model outputs against defined scientific criteria, providing clear written justifications for your ratings.
- 5Turn technical know-how — like experimental procedures, characterization results, and process data — into structured, model-ready formats.
- 6Consistently deliver dependable, high-quality work within set deadlines.
Requirements5
- 1Hands-on experimental background in at least one of: inorganic synthesis (solid-state, solution, solvothermal, or sol-gel methods), superconducting materials, or semiconductors and advanced packaging.
- 2Strong proficiency with materials and device characterization methods such as XRD, SEM, TEM, spectroscopy, and electrical/transport measurements.
- 3Experience with thin-film growth or device fabrication (MBE/epitaxy, MOCVD, CVD, sputtering, IBAD, etching, clean-room microfabrication) is preferred.
- 4An advanced degree (PhD or MS) in materials science, chemistry, physics, or a related engineering discipline — or equivalent hands-on experience.
- 5Excellent written English and the ability to explain technical reasoning clearly and concisely.
Who Should Apply
You're a seasoned experimentalist who enjoys the precision of hands-on lab work and can also think critically about how AI models learn scientific concepts. You thrive on evaluating technical output, catching subtle errors, and translating messy experimental knowledge into structured data. You're comfortable working independently in a remote role and can communicate your reasoning in crisp written English.
Salary Insight
$84.00 per hour for an ongoing, remote engagement, with up to 40 hours per week (minimum 10 hours).
Location
Required Skills
Application Tip
When you apply, include a specific example of a time you evaluated or corrected AI-generated (or peer-reviewed) scientific content — and name the exact characterization tools and techniques you used to verify it.
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