What you’ll do Author, review, and annotate technical tasks used to evaluate AI model performance on materials science problems. Tasks involve producing original problem sets grounded in phase diagrams, micrographs, stress-strain curves, and characterization data; writing reference solutions; and applying structured quality checks.

Who we’re looking for

• PhD in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or a related engineering field, or MS in Materials Science with 3+ years of applied research or industry experience, or BS in Materials Engineering with 5+ years of lab, characterization, or process experience
• Working fluency in at least two of: phase equilibria, mechanical behavior, crystallography, polymers, or characterization (XRD, SEM, TEM)
• Comfortable interpreting micrographs, diffraction patterns, and property charts
• Publication record or industry R&D track is a plus and accelerates promotion

Compensation Starting rate $85/hr. Strong contributors have the opportunity to be promoted based on task quality and throughput.

Commitment Part-time, ~20 hrs/week, flexible schedule. Fully remote. Hourly.

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.