PhD Domain Expert - Remote AI Research Contract
Listing checked September 14, 2026 · pay as published by AfterQuery
Overview
AfterQuery seeks PhD-level researchers for Project Iter, a remote contract engagement that runs on a project-by-project basis. You bring doctoral training in a quantitative, scientific, technical, or humanities field and apply it to applied research tasks, from literature reviews to experiment design. Assignments span 2 to 3 weeks and call for about 10 hours per week, with some projects requiring 10 to 20 hours. Work is asynchronous, so you choose when to contribute while supporting model evaluation, data curation, and benchmarking. Pay ranges from $120 to $180 per hour, and the role offers direct exposure to an early-stage Y Combinator-backed company.
What You'll Do6
- 1Apply doctoral-level knowledge to research problems inside your specialization.
- 2Carry out literature reviews, pull together findings, and write technical documents that meet research standards.
- 3Build and assess experiments, datasets, or methods tied to your domain.
- 4Serve as a subject-matter expert for model evaluation, data curation, or benchmarking work.
- 5Record methodologies, results, and technical steps in a clear, reproducible form.
- 6Complete tasks assigned on a project-by-project basis over short 2 to 3 week cycles.
Requirements8
- 1PhD completed or underway in a quantitative, scientific, technical, or humanities discipline.
- 2Proven depth in your doctoral field and a track record of using that knowledge on applied research problems.
- 3Ability to solve problems and manage technical or research tasks without close supervision.
- 4Five or more years of professional experience in an industry tied to your expertise.
- 5Preferred: hands-on work with AI/ML systems, datasets, or evaluation pipelines in your field.
- 6Preferred: experience with technical writing, peer review, or grant proposals.
- 7Preferred: teaching or TA experience at the graduate or undergraduate level.
- 8Preferred: at least one first-author publication in a peer-reviewed venue.
Who Should Apply
The best match is a PhD holder or doctoral candidate with five or more years in industry, a strong publication record, and comfort handling open-ended research tasks on your own. You may have experience with technical writing, peer review, or teaching, and you may have touched AI/ML datasets or evaluation pipelines in your field. The role suits researchers who can move between literature synthesis, experiment design, and documentation across short project cycles. Candidates who lack a PhD, have under five years of industry experience, or need daily supervision and fixed schedules will find the fit weak. Applications also lose points when they skip the cover letter, portfolio, or GitHub profile, or when they fail to connect their doctoral expertise to applied research and model evaluation work.
Salary Insight
The listing states $120 to $180 per hour, with engagement on a contract basis. For a part-time PhD research role that asks for about 10 hours per week, this range sits at the senior end of independent research and consulting work. Pay ties to project scope and your domain expertise rather than a fixed annual salary.
Location
Compensation
$120–180/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Use your cover letter to map your doctoral expertise to the exact tasks in the listing: literature reviews, experiment design, technical writing, and model evaluation. Add a portfolio piece that shows your first-author work or a dataset/evaluation project, and make sure your GitHub profile is public and organized if your field includes code.
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