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Mercor · STEM & research

Material Science PhD Coding Experts

Listed on Mercor as “Material Science PhD Coding Experts

$70/hrRemoteContractPaid in USD
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What this actually is

You design problems that stump current AI models, evaluate AI reasoning against the correct answer, write rubrics, and provide expert feedback. Often the highest-paid category because the expertise pool is small. The platform title (Material Science PhD Coding Experts) reflects the rate band and the expertise required, not the day-to-day work.

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Can you do this on your visa?

F-2 / F-4 / F-5 / F-6: open. E-1 to E-7: needs concurrent-employment permit. D-2 / D-4 students: S-3 permit, 20 hr/week cap. D-10 / D-8: case by case.

Korean tax on USD income

First 5 years in Korea: foreign-source income only taxed if remitted into Korea. After year 5: worldwide income. Full tax guide.

Original posting from Mercor

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.

Quoted from Mercor’s public listing on 2026-09-08. We don’t edit platform copy; honest framing is in the title and the “what this actually is” block above.

Apply on Mercor