Applied Physics Phd - Assessment Expert

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Remote; GBP 64,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking an Applied Physics Benchmark Specialist for a remote contract role. Compensation ranges from $61 to $77 per hour with a commitment of 10+ hours per week.

You will create and edit high-quality physics questions testing semiconductor physics, nanoelectronics, spintronics, and photonics concepts. Ideal candidates hold a PhD (or doctoral candidate) in physics or a closely related field, with strong graduate-level knowledge and excellent written English.

Qualifications

• PhD or doctoral candidate in Physics, Applied Physics, Astrophysics, or a closely related field.
• Strong command of graduate-level physics concepts and mathematical formalism.
• Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely.
• Experience with rigorous academic problem design or physics olympiad writing is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Author original physics questions that test deep conceptual understanding in Semiconductor Physics, Nanoelectronics & Spintronics, Photonics, and other domains.
• Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined with all necessary information in the problem statement.
• Rate each question's difficulty as Medium, Hard, or Expert, providing 1 correct answer and 9 plausible alternatives.
• 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 like peer-reviewed journals.
• For verification tasks, flag issues with clarity, completeness, precision, or solvability and justify any edits made.

Skills

Graduate-level physics concepts

Math formalism

Academic problem design

Excellent written English

Education

PhD in Physics

Master's degree considered

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: 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 in Semiconductor Physics, Nanoelectronics & Spintronics, Photonics, and other domains.
• Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined with all necessary information in the problem statement.
• Rate each question's difficulty as Medium, Hard, or Expert, providing 1 correct answer and 9 plausible alternatives.
• 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 like peer-reviewed journals.
• 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.

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