Applied Physics PhD - Benchmark Expert

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 D'Angelo, Larry Summers, and Jack Dorsey.
Position: Applied Physics Benchmark Specialist
Type: Contract
Compensation: $61–$77/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 10+ hours/week
Role Responsibilities
Author original physics questions that test deep conceptual understanding, not surface-level recall.Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined. Include all necessary information in the problem statement.Rate each question's difficulty: Medium (intro undergraduate), Hard (advanced undergraduate), or Expert (post-graduate and above).Provide 1 correct answer and 9 plausible but subtly incorrect alternatives that challenge expert-level solvers.Write step-by-step Chain-of-Thought solutions with clear, concise intermediate steps in markdown format.Supply 1–5 academic references per question from reputable sources (peer-reviewed journals, university repositories).For verification tasks: flag issues with clarity, completeness, precision, or solvability and justify any edits made.
Qualifications
Must-Have
PhD or doctoral candidate in Physics, Applied Physics, Astrophysics, or a closely related field.Master's degree considered for candidates with exceptional depth in a specific subdomain.Strong command of graduate-level physics concepts and mathematical formalism.Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely.
Preferred
Experience with rigorous academic problem design or physics olympiad writing is a strong plus.
Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)
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Resources & Support
For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcomeFor any help or support, reach out to: support@mercor.com
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Work arrangement
Yes