Material Science PhD Coding Experts | $70/hr Remote
Overview
At Mercor, you will write evaluation tasks for a scientific computing benchmark used by leading AI labs. You source your own reference material, such as a published paper or Kaggle dataset, then design research problems that current frontier models fail. The role demands deep knowledge of semiconductor materials and molecular modeling, plus working code in Python, R, or similar. This 6-week remote contract pays $70/hour.
What You'll Do6
- 1Select a reference source, such as a published paper, Kaggle dataset, or open-source repository, and turn it into a concrete research problem.
- 2Write clear scientific prompts that describe the problem and the expected output.
- 3Define grading criteria that determine whether a model answer is correct.
- 4Run your tasks against frontier models and adjust them until the strongest models fail more often than they pass.
- 5Submit tasks through a pull-request workflow with automated checks, using Git/GitHub and Docker.
- 6Focus your tasks on semiconductor materials and molecular modeling subdomains.
Requirements5
- 1PhD in materials science, materials engineering, applied physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related discipline.
- 2Proven expertise in both semiconductor materials and molecular modeling, with the ability to write code in Python, R, or another scientific computing language.
- 3Hands-on experience with Git/GitHub and Docker, including running code in containers.
- 4Familiarity with the pull-request review process and automated quality checks.
- 5Peer-reviewed publications or prior experience in scientific software development are a plus.
Who Should Apply
The ideal candidate holds a PhD in materials science or a related field and can demonstrate real coding skill in Python or R. They should feel at home in both semiconductor materials and molecular modeling, with a track record of turning research into executable code. This role is not for people who only write theory or who lack hands-on experience with Git and Docker. Rejection comes from weak evidence of depth in both required subdomains, or from applications that show no prior scientific computing work.
Salary Insight
$70 per hour, paid hourly. This contract rate reflects the specialized nature of benchmark authoring for AI labs, and total weekly earnings depend on the actual hours you log.
Location
Required Skills
Application Tip
In your application, include a link to a GitHub repository or published code sample that shows how you model semiconductor materials or molecular systems.
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1Application received
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