Astronomy Specialist – Remote | $80/hr

<strong>About The Job<br><br></strong><strong>Mercor</strong> connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include <strong>Benchmark</strong>, <strong>General Catalyst</strong>, <strong>Peter Thiel</strong>, <strong>Adam D'Angelo</strong>, <strong>Larry Summers</strong>, and <strong>Jack Dorsey</strong>.<br><br><strong>Position:</strong> Astronomy Expert<br><br><strong>Type:</strong> <strong>Contract<br><br></strong><strong>Compensation:</strong> <strong>$60–$80/hour<br><br></strong><strong>Location:</strong> <strong>Remote<br><br></strong><strong>Duration:</strong> <strong>~2 months<br><br></strong><strong>Commitment:</strong> <strong>20–40 hours/week<br><br></strong><strong>Role Responsibilities<br><br></strong><ul><li>Write original and advanced IAO-style astronomy problems to challenge frontier AI models.</li><li>Evaluate AI-generated solutions for correctness, clarity, and reasoning quality. Identify where models fail.</li><li>Identify logical flaws, incomplete reasoning, or insufficiently rigorous derivations.</li><li>Provide clear, concise, and correct solutions and reasoning, formatted in LaTeX.</li><li>Maintain extremely high standards of precision, scientific rigor, and problem difficulty.</li><li>Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while improving AI model performance.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Qualifications<br><br></strong><strong>Must-Have<br><br></strong><ul><li>Master’s or PhD in astronomy or a related field.</li><li>Olympiad participant or medalist in the IAO or equivalent competitions.</li><li>Proficiency in writing and formatting documents using LaTeX.</li><li>Deep understanding of core theoretical and observational concepts in astronomy and astrophysics.</li><li>Ability to articulate reasoning and derivations clearly in written form.</li><li>Strong ability to evaluate the rigor and complexity of astronomy problems.</li><li>Rigorous attention to detail in verifying solutions.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Start Date<br><br></strong><ul><li>Rolling start dates; setup typically within 1–2 days of approval.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)<br><br></strong><ul><li>Submit your resume or CV highlighting your astronomy background and relevant achievements.</li><li>Complete a brief interview (20–30 minutes).</li><li>Submit a short form detailing your experience writing problems and competing in astronomy or related Olympiads.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Resources & Support<br><br></strong><ul><li>For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome/welcome</li><li>For any help or support, reach out to: support@mercor.com<br><br></li></ul><em>PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.<br><br></em>,<br><br>