Astrophysics Benchmark Designer for AI Research

Mercor; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Computational Astrophysics & Cosmology Expert to design graduate-level problems that require real scientific software, simulations, and careful data interpretation. You will craft challenging, multi-step workflows and validate them against AI models to ensure robust evaluation.

The role emphasizes independent design, deep domain knowledge in astrophysics/cosmology, and hands-on coding with libraries like Astropy.

Qualifications

• Graduate-level training in STEM (MS/PhD preferred).
• Proven Python experience, with code written for research workflows.
• Hands-on use of scientific software libraries in research publications or projects.

Responsibilities

• Design graduate-level computational problems based on real scientific workflows.
• Use specialized scientific software to create multi-step, testable tasks for AI models.
• Test problems against AI models and refine difficulty and reliability.
• Explain how results should be interpreted and what constitutes a correct solution.

Skills

Python programming

Independent work

Problem design

Education

Graduate-level training in STEM (MS/PhD)

Tools

Astropy

Job description

Mercor is seeking a Computational Astrophysics & Cosmology Expert to design graduate-level problems that require real scientific software, simulations, and careful data interpretation. You will craft challenging, multi-step workflows and validate them against AI models to ensure robust evaluation.

The role emphasizes independent design, deep domain knowledge in astrophysics/cosmology, and hands-on coding with libraries like Astropy.