Physics Expert - Fully Remote

Mercor; Berlin; Remote; EUR 95.000 - 161.000; Teilzeit

Zusammenfassung

Mercor is seeking expert physics researchers to author and verify golden reference solutions for the CritPt benchmark, a frontier research-level physics task. You will solve problems end-to-end with verifiable derivations, code, and peer-reviewed references, or audit and adjudicate between parallel solution attempts.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD or postdoc in the relevant subfield, are proficient with Python, Jupyter, LaTeX, and SymPy, and can document chain-of-thought reasoning and verification

Qualifikationen

• PhD or postdoc in the specified physics subfield.
• Experience solving research-level problems with verifiable derivations.
• Proficiency with Python/Jupyter/SymPy and LaTeX.
• Strong written English (B2 or higher).
• Publications in target subfield (arXiv/DOI).

Aufgaben

• Solve research-level physics challenges end-to-end with derivations, code, and references.
• Decompose challenges into checkpoint sub-problems requiring physical reasoning.
• Author Python answer templates with auto-grading functions for symbolic or numerical answers.
• Audit submitted solutions for correctness, scope, and method soundness; provide feedback.
• Adjudicate between parallel solver attempts and select the golden reference.
• Document chain-of-thought reasoning, error tolerances, and verification tests.

Kenntnisse

Critical thinking

Audit/Adjudication

Publications

Strong written English

Ausbildung

PhD or Postdoc in relevant subfield

Tools

Python

LaTeX

Jupyter

SymPy

Jobbeschreibung

Role Overview

We are seeking expert physics researchers to author and verify golden reference solutions for the CritPt benchmark (arXiv:2509.26574v3) — a frontier research-level physics benchmark. Participants will solve CritPt research-level problems end-to-end, audit solutions from other experts, or adjudicate between parallel solution attempts, producing 100%-human-verified reference data used to evaluate large language models on frontier physics reasoning.

Physics Subdomains Covered

High Energy Physics & Mathematical Physics, Biophysics & Statistical Physics, Condensed Matter & AMO, Gravitation / Cosmology / Astrophysics, Quantum Information, Optical Properties of Materials, Magnetic Materials, Measurements in QM.

Key Responsibilities

• Solve research-level physics challenges end-to-end with verifiable derivations, code, and peer-reviewed references

• Decompose challenges into standalone checkpoint sub-problems that require genuine physical reasoning

• Author Python answer templates with auto-grading functions for symbolic or numerical answers

• Audit submitted solutions for correctness, scope, and method soundness; deliver actionable feedback across iterations

• Adjudicate between parallel solver attempts and decide which solution becomes the golden reference

• Document chain-of-thought reasoning, error tolerances, equivalent symbolic forms, and verification test cases

Ideal Qualifications

• Solver: PhD or postdoc in the relevant subfield (senior PhD student minimum)

• Auditor: Postdoc or junior professor in the relevant subfield (PhD minimum)

• Adjudicator: Full professor or industry research PI in the relevant subfield (senior postdoc or junior professor minimum)

• Hands-on familiarity with at least two canonical methods of the target subfield, demonstrable through publications (broader coverage strongly preferred)

• 3–5 representative publications (arXiv ID or DOI), ideally within the last ~5 years and in the target subfield

• Working proficiency with LaTeX, Python, Jupyter, and SymPy

• Strong written English (B2/C1/C2 minimum; native or near-native preferred)

More About the Opportunity

• Expected commitment: ~10 hours/week, sustained across an 8–10 week window per task pool

• Pay range: $80–$135 per hour, based on role and demonstrated expertise

• Asynchronous work