Seismology Benchmark Architect

Mercor; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Remote work with sandboxed compute

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Computational Seismology & Geophysics Expert to design graduate‑level problems that use real scientific software for research tasks. You will craft challenging benchmark problems and oversee their evaluation on state‑of‑the‑art AI models.

Candidates have MS/PhD in a relevant STEM field, proficiency with SPECFEM/ObsPy/Pyrocko/SimPEG or similar, strong Python skills, and the ability to work independently in Linux environments; 15–20 hours weekly.

Qualifications

• Graduate-level training in a STEM field (MS/PhD preferred).
• Proven proficiency with at least one listed scientific library, shown via publications or open-source work.
• Strong Python skills for writing problem setups and validators.
• Ability to work independently and refine problem designs from feedback.

Responsibilities

• Design problems that require skilled use of specialized scientific software.
• Test problems against state-of-the-art AI models and refine difficulty.
• Plan experiments to reveal information not directly visible and read partial results strategically.

Skills

Python programming

Research experience

Problem design

Education

MS or PhD in a STEM field

Tools

SPECFEM

ObsPy

Pyrocko

SimPEG

pyGIMLi

SeisBench

EQcorrscan

Fatiando a Terra

Job description

Mercor is seeking a Computational Seismology & Geophysics Expert to design graduate‑level problems that use real scientific software for research tasks. You will craft challenging benchmark problems and oversee their evaluation on state‑of‑the‑art AI models.

Candidates have MS/PhD in a relevant STEM field, proficiency with SPECFEM/ObsPy/Pyrocko/SimPEG or similar, strong Python skills, and the ability to work independently in Linux environments; 15–20 hours weekly.