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.