Mathematics PhD Coding Experts | $70/hr Remote
Listing checked September 9, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
Mercor is partnering with AI labs to build a new scientific computing benchmark. As a Mathematics PhD with coding depth, you'll design original, runnable research problems that frontier models can't crack yet. Your work will touch areas like numerical linear algebra, computational mechanics, and computational finance, and you'll source material from publications, Kaggle datasets, or your own imagination. You'll also set up grading criteria and run calibration passes until strong models fail more often than they pass. This is a six-week, part-time remote contract starting immediately.
What You'll Do6
- 1Source original material from a published paper, a Kaggle dataset, an open-source repository, or a scenario you design yourself.
- 2Draft scientific prompts that clearly state the computational problem for the AI models.
- 3Define exhaustive grading criteria that separate correct answers from partial or wrong ones.
- 4Run calibration experiments against frontier models, iterating on tasks until they fail more than they succeed.
- 5Submit finished tasks through a pull-request workflow on GitHub, making sure each passes automated quality checks.
- 6Collaborate with the benchmarking team to maintain consistent difficulty and scientific validity across tasks.
Requirements8
- 1A PhD in mathematics, applied mathematics, computational mathematics, or a comparable field.
- 2Working proficiency in Python or R for scientific computing tasks.
- 3Demonstrated depth in at least two of these subdomains: numerical linear algebra, computational mechanics, and computational finance.
- 4Practical comfort with Git and GitHub version control for collaborative development.
- 5Ability to run and debug Python or R code inside Docker containers.
- 6Familiarity with code review practices and automated testing in a pull-request model.
- 7Track record of peer-reviewed publications (preferred but not required).
- 8Prior experience in scientific software development or research engineering (also preferred).
Who Should Apply
This role suits PhD-level researchers who like crafting hard problems more than solving easy ones. You'll need proven depth in at least two coding-focused math subdomains, plus real fluency with Python or R and the Git/Docker workflow. If your love is training models or running long-term research, this short, part-time contract isn't for you. Common rejection reasons include thin coding ability, expertise in only one subdomain, or an inability to show a concrete example of how you'd transform a source like a paper into a benchmark task.
Salary Insight
The rate sits at $70 per hour, which matches typical freelance rates for PhD-level scientific expertise in AI benchmarking. Since the contract runs for six weeks at 20+ hours a week, you can expect a steady monthly payout if you put in consistent time. There's no mention of bonuses or equity, but the base pay is solid for specialized short-term work.
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Compensation
$70/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Prepare a one-page sample that outlines a specific problem you'd give to frontier models, including your grading criteria. Quantify your weekly availability to show you can handle the 20+ hour commitment.
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