Environmental Science Expert at Mercor

Environmental Science Expert | $50–70/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is partnering with leading AI labs on Project Atlas — an initiative to build realistic enterprise environments where frontier AI agents are trained and evaluated. We're looking for seasoned environmental science professionals to help recreate the digital workspaces and workflows that define serious environmental practice, then design tasks that genuinely challenge state-of-the-art AI systems.

What You'll Do

• Build a high-fidelity digital workspace modeled on your real day-to-day environment — including site assessment reports, permit applications, monitoring data, environmental impact statements, ESG disclosures, remediation workplans, and email threads
• Represent the platforms you actually use (e.g., Esri ArcGIS, SAS, MATLAB, Socrata) within the simulated environment
• Design multi-step, realistic tasks that require navigating multiple apps, files, and stakeholders — tasks that meaningfully challenge frontier AI agents
• Collaborate asynchronously with other environmental science experts to review scenarios for realism and rigor
• Work with research teams to refine task designs and evaluation criteria for AI benchmarks
• Directly contribute to how leading AI labs train and evaluate next-generation AI systems

Ideal Background

• MS or PhD in environmental science, engineering, or a related discipline (preferred)
• 3+ years of full-time experience at a federal/state environmental agency (EPA, USGS, state DEPs), major environmental consulting firm (AECOM, Jacobs, ERM, Ramboll, Tetra Tech), F500 sustainability team, or R1 university
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas:
  • Environmental assessment and compliance (NEPA, CWA, CAA, RCRA, CERCLA)
  • Air, water, or waste permitting and monitoring
  • Contaminated-site investigation and remediation
  • Corporate sustainability, ESG reporting, GHG accounting (GHG Protocol, CDP, TCFD, SEC climate rule)
  • Ecology, natural-resource management, or climate-risk analysis
• Day-to-day proficiency with Esri ArcGIS, SAS/MATLAB, and Socrata or ArcGIS Hub
• Strong analytical thinking and technical writing skills

Compensation

This role begins at an effective hourly rate of $50–$70/hr. Over time, compensation will transition to a throughput-based model rewarding the quality and volume of work produced.

About Mercor

Mercor is a talent marketplace connecting top domain experts with leading AI labs and research organizations. Backed by Benchmark, General Catalyst, Adam D'Angelo, and Jack Dorsey, Mercor supports thousands of professionals contributing to projects that shape the future of AI.