AI Research Scientist - PhD

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 Computer Science Benchmark Specialist Type: Contract Compensation: $66–$84/hour Location: Remote Commitment: 10+ hours/week Role Responsibilities Author original computer science questions to test deep conceptual understanding. Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined. Rate each question's difficulty as Medium, Hard, or Expert. Provide 1 correct answer and 9 plausible but subtly incorrect alternatives. Write step-by-step Chain-of-Thought solutions in markdown format. Supply 1–5 academic references per question from reputable sources. For verification tasks, review pre-written questions for accuracy and clarity. Flag issues and justify any edits made. Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while advancing AI capabilities . Qualifications Must-Have PhD or doctoral candidate in Computer Science , Electrical Engineering , or a closely related field. Strong command of graduate-level CS theory , algorithms , systems design , and/or machine learning . Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely. Preferred Master's degree considered for candidates with exceptional depth in a specific subdomain. Research publications, industry experience at top tech companies, or competitive programming background. 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