Physics PhD - Quantum Computing Expert

Mercor; Mumbai; On-site; INR 446,000 - 670,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking PhD and Master's scientists to author AI evaluation tasks for a new benchmark in scientific computing. You will create original, executable research problems and design grading criteria so frontier models struggle on these prompts.

The role involves sourcing data, writing prompts, and calibrating tasks against advanced models. 6 weeks, part-time (20+ hours/week), immediate start.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent research experience in a physics-related field.
• Demonstrated depth in at least two subdomains (condensed matter, optics, quantum information, computational physics, astrophysics, particle physics).
• Proficiency in Python or R for scientific computing; comfortable with Docker and Git workflows.

Responsibilities

• Author original, executable research problems for AI evaluation tasks.
• Write scientific prompts based on input data.
• Build grading criteria to define correct answers.
• Calibrate tasks against frontier models to ensure challenging benchmarks.

Skills

Condensed matter

Optics

Quantum information/computing

Python

R

Education

PhD in physics or applied physics

Master's in physics or related field

Tools

Git/GitHub

Docker

Job description

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 motivationsFollow up within a few days with next steps and onboarding