Material Science PhD Coding Experts

Mercor is hiring PhD and Master’s scientists to author AI evaluation tasks (Sci Code)

Mercor is partnering with leading AI labs on a new benchmark for scientific computing. You will author original, executable research problems that today’s frontier models cannot solve.

Domains — depth required in at least two subdomains (with a coding focus)

• Materials science — semiconductor materials, molecular modeling

What you’ll do

• Source your own material: a published paper, a Kaggle dataset, an open-source repository, or a scenario you design

• Write scientific prompts based on the input

• Build the grading criteria that define a correct answer

• Calibrate against frontier models — a task ships only when strong models fail it more often than they succeed

Required

• PhD in materials science, materials engineering, applied physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a closely related field

• Demonstrated depth in both of the following subdomains: semiconductor materials and molecular modeling

• Working proficiency in Python, R, or another relevant programming language for scientific computing

• Comfortable with Git/GitHub and running code in Docker — authoring runs through a pull-request workflow with automated quality checks

Preferred

• Publications in peer-reviewed journals

• Prior scientific software or research engineering experience

Engagement

• Duration: 6 weeks

• Commitment: part-time, 20+ hours per week

• Start date: immediate

Process

1. Upload your resume and application form

1. A 25-minute conversational interview covering your background, experience, and motivations

1. Follow up within a few days with next steps and onboarding

Apply today and put your research expertise to work building the next generation of scientific AI.

Compensation

• Pay: $70/hour
• Type: Hourly contract
• Location: Remote