Physics PhD Coding Experts

About this role

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)** - Physics — condensed matter, optics, quantum information/computing, computational physics, astrophysics, particle physics **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 physics, applied physics, or a closely related field - Demonstrated depth in at least two of the following subdomains: condensed matter, optics, quantum information/computing, computational physics, astrophysics, particle physics - 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 2. A 25-minute conversational interview covering your background, experience, and motivations 3. 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.