Astrophysics Expert - Computational Specialist

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: Computational Astrophysics & Cosmology Expert
Type: Contract
Compensation: $70–$100/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 15–20 hours/week
Role Responsibilities

- Design challenging computational problems to evaluate AI capabilities in scientific software usage.

- Develop problems requiring strategic planning and experimentation to uncover hidden data insights.

- Test and refine problems against state-of-the-art AI models to achieve target difficulty.

- Utilize Astrophysics & Cosmology expertise with tools like astropy for problem creation.

- Work independently and asynchronously to refine problem designs based on feedback.

Qualifications

Must-Have

- Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM field ( MS, PhD, or equivalent ).

- Proven proficiency with scientific software libraries through research or professional work.

- Strong Python skills for writing problem setups and solution validators.

- Ability to work in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes.

- Available for 15–20 hours/week .

Preferred

- Experience across multiple domains or tools.

- Familiarity with benchmark or evaluation design.

- Background in scientific teaching or exam/problem-set design.

- Experience with computational reproducibility and containerized environments.

Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)

- Upload resume

- AI interview based on your resume

- Submit form

Resources & Support

- For details about the interview process and platform information, please check:

- For any help or support, reach out to:

PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.

Originally posted on Himalayas