Remote Applied Physics PhD Specialist (Contract)

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

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.