Astrophysics Expert - Cosmology Specialist

mercor; Deutschland; Remote; EUR 86,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking an Astrophysics & Cosmology Expert for a remote contract, 15–20 hours/week. You will design computational problems to test AI systems, using real scientific software and Python-based validators. Independent work and collaboration across teams are required to calibrate problem difficulty.

Applicant should have graduate-level STEM training and proven experience with scientific libraries, notably astropy, plus Linux/terminal fluency and containerized workflows.

Qualifications

• Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM field ( MS, PhD, or equivalent research experience ).
• Proven proficiency with scientific software libraries through research publications or professional work.
• Strong Python skills for writing problem setups and solution validators.
• Comfortable in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes.
• Available for at least 15–20 hours per week.
• Preferred: Experience across multiple domains or tools.
• Preferred: Familiarity with benchmark or evaluation design.
• Preferred: Background in scientific teaching or exam/problem-set design.
• Preferred: Experience with computational reproducibility and containerized environments.

Responsibilities

• Design challenging computational problems to test AI systems using real scientific software.
• Develop problems requiring strategic planning and multi-step workflows for AI to uncover hidden data.
• Refine problems through iterative testing against state-of-the-art AI models.
• Utilize astropy and related tools for cosmological calculations and data analysis.
• Work independently to enhance problem designs based on feedback.
• Collaborate asynchronously with teams to ensure problem difficulty is optimal.

Skills

Proficiency with scientific software

Strong Python skills

Testing/validation workflows

Education

Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM field (MS/PhD or equivalent)

Tools

Astropy

Linux/Terminal

Containerized environments

Job description

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: Astrophysics & Cosmology Expert Type: Contract Compensation: $70–$100/hour Location: Remote Commitment: 15–20 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Design challenging computational problems to test AI systems using real scientific software.


• Develop problems requiring strategic planning and multi-step workflows for AI to uncover hidden data.


• Refine problems through iterative testing against state-of-the-art AI models.


• Utilize astropy and related tools for cosmological calculations and data analysis.


• Work independently to enhance problem designs based on feedback.


• Collaborate asynchronously with teams to ensure problem difficulty is optimal.

Qualifications

• Must-Have: Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM field ( MS, PhD, or equivalent research experience ).


• Must-Have: Proven proficiency with scientific software libraries through research publications or professional work.


• Must-Have: Strong Python skills for writing problem setups and solution validators.


• Must-Have: Comfortable in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes.


• Must-Have: Available for at least 15–20 hours per week.


• Preferred: Experience across multiple domains or tools.


• Preferred: Familiarity with benchmark or evaluation design.


• Preferred: Background in scientific teaching or exam/problem-set design.


• Preferred: Experience with computational reproducibility and containerized environments.