Applied Physics PhD - Benchmark Expert

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: Applied Physics Benchmark Specialist Type: Contract Compensation: $61–$77/hour Location: Remote Commitment: 10+ hours/week Role Responsibilities Author original physics questions that test deep conceptual understanding, not surface-level recall. Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined with all necessary information in the problem statement. Rate each question's difficulty: Medium (intro undergraduate), Hard (advanced undergraduate), or Expert (post-graduate and above). Provide 1 correct answer and 9 plausible but subtly incorrect alternatives that challenge expert-level solvers. 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 (peer-reviewed journals, university repositories). For verification tasks: flag issues with clarity, completeness, precision, or solvability and justify any edits made. Qualifications Must-Have PhD or doctoral candidate in Physics , Applied Physics , Astrophysics , or a closely related field. Master's degree considered for candidates with exceptional depth in a specific subdomain. Strong command of graduate-level physics concepts and mathematical formalism. Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely. Preferred Experience with rigorous academic problem design or physics olympiad writing is a strong plus. 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 com