Particle Physics Computational Problem Designer

About the job

Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco our investors include Benchmark General Catalyst Peter Thiel Adam DAngelo Larry Summers and Jack Dorsey.

Position: STEM Computational Scientific Software & Evaluation Design - Particle & Nuclear Physics
Type: Contract
Compensation: $70$100/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 1520 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Design graduate-level computational problems using domain-specific scientific software libraries.
• Develop problems that test AI systems ability to solve research-grade challenges.
• Calibrate problems against frontier AI models and iterate until difficulty is optimal.
• Evaluate complex scientific workflows and refine problem setups for accuracy.
• Collaborate independently to enhance AI model performance and reasoning.
• Utilize scikit-hep and related HEP Python tools for data analysis and computations.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM domain (MS PhD or equivalent).
• Proficiency with scientific software libraries evidenced by research or professional work.
• Strong Python programming skills for problem setups and solution validation.
• Ability to work independently and iterate based on feedback.
• Comfortable in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes.
• Available for 1520 hours/week.

Preferred

• Experience across multiple domains or tools.
• Familiarity with benchmark or evaluation design.
• Background in scientific pedagogy or exam/problem-set design.
• Experience with computational reproducibility and containerized environments.

Application Process (Takes 2030 mins to complete)

• Upload resume
• AI interview based on your resume
• Submit form

Resources & Support

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PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.