Handshake AI
Handshake AIVerified listing
Remote

Materials Modeling Engineer - Remote Contract

Up to 80/hr
Remote
Posted September 17, 2026
Part-Time
Not Sure? Upload your resume to see every role you match

Listing checked September 18, 2026 · pay as published by Handshake AI

Overview

Handshake AI seeks materials science and engineering modeling experts for part-time contract work supporting AI research. You will build expert-level questions and scenarios from real materials modeling and research engineering workflows. Your day-to-day includes reviewing AI answers for accuracy against computational simulation practices and writing structured critiques that help models improve. Work happens on your schedule with no minimum hours, and the project runs alongside your current role. Tools such as MATLAB or Materials Studio shape the technical depth expected here.

What You'll Do5

  • 1Create expert-level training questions and scenarios grounded in real materials modeling and research engineering workflows.
  • 2Review AI-generated responses for technical accuracy and relevance to computational modeling and materials simulation practices.
  • 3Write structured feedback that pinpoints errors, gaps, and weak reasoning in AI outputs.
  • 4Evaluate model performance against domain standards and research engineering norms.
  • 5Complete tasks at your own pace with no set schedule or minimum hour requirement.

Requirements5

  • 12+ years of professional experience in materials science, computational modeling, or research engineering.
  • 2Background in roles such as Materials Scientist, Battery R&D Engineer, Computational Chemist, or Modeling & Simulation Engineer.
  • 3Hands-on use of MATLAB, Materials Studio, or both.
  • 4Strong written communication skills and close attention to detail.
  • 5Ability to work on your own in a remote, asynchronous setting.

Who Should Apply

The ideal candidate brings at least two years of professional experience in materials science, computational modeling, or research engineering, with a title like Battery R&D Engineer or Computational Chemist. You have used MATLAB, Materials Studio, or both in real projects and can explain modeling choices in clear writing. This role fits people who already hold a full-time position and want project-based side work with flexible hours. Candidates who lack hands-on tool experience or who have less than two years in the field often score low on fit. Weak written feedback also sinks applications, because the job hinges on precise critiques of AI-generated technical content.

Salary Insight

The posting lists pay up to $80.00 per hour. For project-based AI evaluation in a specialized engineering field, that ceiling sits near the top of the range and often matches contributors with several years of applied materials modeling experience. No lower bound appears in the listing, so exact pay depends on the project and your background.

Pay and demand for Machine Learning & AI roles

Aggregated

Typical pay

$75/hour

This role

up to $80/hr

Most Machine Learning & AI roles pay $55–$100 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.

Based on 512 similar roles that publish pay · 90 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave

Typical rangeMedian payThis role

Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.

Live similar roles
569
Listed in last 30 days
250
Remote
97%

Hiring most right now: micro1 (261) · Mercor (79) · SME Careers (60)

Most requested skills · share of roles

  • python
    17%
  • technical writing
    9%
  • llm evaluation
    8%
  • data annotation
    7%

Figures from Machine Learning & AI roles live on NearSkill when this page loaded. A role can close before you apply, so check the listing itself.

Compare your resume against these roles

Location

Typeremote
LocationRemote
Eligible countriesUnited States
This is a remote position

Compensation

Up to $80/hr

Required Skills

materials sciencecomputational modelingmaterials simulationresearch engineeringmatlabmaterials studiobattery r&dcomputational chemistrymodeling and simulationai model evaluationtechnical writingresearch workflows

Application Tip

In your application, name the exact tools you use, such as MATLAB or Materials Studio, and describe one modeling or simulation project where your analysis changed a decision. Pair that with a short writing sample that critiques a technical answer, since the role tests both domain depth and structured feedback.

Share:

See NearSkill jobs more often in your search

Application & verification flow

  1. 1Instant rubric match

    Your resume is scanned against this role’s requirements to check qualification fit.

  2. 2Screened before the employer sees it

    Only profiles that clear screening are passed on.

  3. 3Outcome by email

    We notify you at the address on your resume once the screening is reviewed.

Test your fit score before applying

Similar open positions

Explore active roles that match your skills and interests.

SME Careers

SME Careers

12d agoRemotecontract

Materials Scientist (Remote) Contract

Remote contract role focusing on evaluating and creating high-quality materials science content. Work as a SME to review AI-generated materials science outputs, assess accuracy of crystal structures, phase diagrams, and structure-property relationships, and provide precise written feedback. Collaborate with an AI data services team to improve model explanations, calculations, and terminology in materials science contexts.

Up to 95/hr
AfmCalphadCeramics+25 more
Micro1

Micro1

1mo agoRemotecontract
Hot

Materials Science Expert for AI‑Driven Engineering

A remote contractor role for a Materials Science Expert focused on advancing AI-assisted materials engineering. You’ll apply deep domain knowledge to help train next‑gen AI systems, guiding models on materials selection, failure analysis, testing, and process development. Expect to review AI-generated technical work for accuracy and deliver clear, practical feedback to support model learning. Strong communication and precise technical reasoning are essential as you collaborate with a distributed team.

80–130/hr
Materials Science ExpertiseMaterials CharacterizationTechnical Literature Review+7 more
AfterQuery

AfterQuery

23d agoRemoteContract
Hot

Materials Science and Engineering Expert (Remote)

AfterQuery hires materials scientists and engineers to write the scenario sets that frontier AI labs use to gauge how well models reason about real engineering decisions. Your work covers the full arc of a materials problem, from picking a candidate material through to diagnosing why a part failed in service. Each scenario needs a reference answer that lays out the structure-property logic behind the call, and you also review what models produce, catching answers that sound reasonable but would not hold up in practice. Engagement runs as a contract at roughly 10 hours per week, done fully remote and async, with metals, polymers, ceramics or semiconductors as the depth area you bring.

100–130/hr
Materials ScienceMaterials EngineeringMetals+15 more
Mercor

Mercor

1mo agoBay Area, CAfull-time

Materials Science Domain Expert

You will work directly with a leading AI lab's research and program management teams, applying your materials science expertise to improve how frontier models reason about real engineering work. Your main activities are validating materials knowledge tasks, writing instruction specs and golden solutions, and designing benchmarks that track model progress. Cincinnatus LLC employs you full-time on a W-2 basis, and you will operate inside the client's own tools with client-issued equipment. The role demands a PhD-level specialist with 4+ years of research or industrial R&D experience. The position is hybrid and based in the Bay Area, so you must live locally and be available on-site several days per week.

70–110/hr
· 10 openings
Materials ScienceMaterials EngineeringMetallurgy+13 more
Mercor

Mercor

6d agoRemotepart-time

Materials Science Expert - Remote Part-Time

Mercor maintains an open listing for materials scientists who want part-time AI evaluation work. The company keeps this pool active so clients can invite experts when a project starts, not just when a single role opens. Assignments have included writing materials problems from your own lab or industrial work, grading model reasoning about structure-property links, and spotting designs that pass on paper but fail under fatigue, corrosion, thermal cycling, or manufacturing limits. Past rates for this network have run $60 to $120 per hour, with scope and depth setting the final number.

60–120/hr
Materials ScienceMaterials EngineeringMicrostructure+16 more
Micro1

Micro1

14d agoRemotecontract
Hot

Materials Science Expert

This contract role with micro1 puts you on an AI training project centered on computational materials science. You will build and test models that connect material composition, structure, processing, and performance, using Python and simulation tools. The position is fully remote and global, with about 15 hours per week and a flexible schedule you control, including weekends. Pay ranges from $80 to $150 per hour, and compensation is output-based per completed task. The work is coding-heavy, so comfort with coding agents and Python is essential.

80–150/hr
· 100 openings
PythonMaterials Science