STEM Researchers - MSc/PhD (Must own MacBook)

Mercor; India; Remote; INR 6,468,000 - 7,761,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Referral reward program

Job summary

Mercor is seeking STEM researchers who hold or are pursuing an MSc or PhD to support a research project with a leading AI lab. You will work through real research workflows on your Mac to benchmark and improve AI models, with a part-time commitment of 10–20 hours per week.

This is a fully remote, independent contractor role with weekly payments via Stripe or Wise. Immediate start preferred. H1-B or STEM OPT support is not available at this time.

Qualifications

• Must own a MacBook or Mac with Apple M-series chip or Intel processor, running macOS 15+.
• Pursuing or completed MSc/PhD in STEM (physics, chemistry, biology, math, CS, engineering).
• Hands-on experience with Python/Jupyter, MATLAB, R, LaTeX, reference managers, or lab/data analysis software.
• Strong online research skills and ability to summarize information clearly from diverse sources.
• Ability to clearly explain reasoning while you work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Complete and narrate real research tasks (literature review, data analysis, modeling, technical writing) on your Mac.
• Create high-quality training data for advanced AI models.
• Work with structured tasks without high-pressure internship/consulting dynamics.

Skills

Strong online research

Explain reasoning

Excellent communication

Self-motivated

Education

MSc or PhD in STEM

Tools

MacBook (M-series or Intel)

Python/Jupyter

MATLAB

R

LaTeX

Lab/data analysis software

Job description

STEM Researchers - MSc/PhD (Must own MacBook)

Company: Mercor

Compensation: $50-$60 per hour

Commitment: Hourly contract

Location: Remote

Referral Reward: Earn up to $240 per successful referral.

Referral Link: https://work.mercor.com/explore?listingId=list_AAABoVBmcJCOy6nGBz9FpJre

Role Overview

Mercor is looking for STEM researchers who hold or are currently pursuing an MSc or PhD to support a research project with a leading AI lab. You will work through real research workflows on your own Mac to help benchmark and improve cutting-edge AI models.

Qualifications

• You must own a MacBook or Mac with an Apple M-series chip or Intel processor, running macOS 15 or higher. Applicants without a Mac cannot be considered.
• Currently pursuing or have completed an MSc or PhD in a STEM field (e.g., physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, engineering)
• Hands-on research experience with tools such as Python/Jupyter, MATLAB, R, LaTeX, reference managers, or lab/data analysis software
• Strong online research skills and ability to gather and clearly summarize information from diverse sources
• Ability to clearly explain your reasoning while you work
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Job Details

• Part-time commitment of approximately 10-20 hours per week
• Responsibilities include completing and narrating real research tasks (literature review, data analysis, modeling, technical writing) on your Mac to create high-quality training data for advanced AI models
• Clearly structured responsibilities without the high pressure typically found in internships or full-time consulting roles
• Immediate start preferred

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

You will be engaged as an independent contractor. This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule. Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance. Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution. Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.

Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.