Experimental Scientist – Superconductors at Mercor

Experimental Scientist / Engineer – Superconductors | $84/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is seeking expert experimental scientists and engineers specialising in superconducting materials to support a frontier AI research lab developing advanced models for materials science and the physical sciences. Your hands-on expertise will directly shape how next-generation AI models reason about superconducting materials, properties, experiments, and devices.

Key Responsibilities

• Apply deep domain expertise in superconducting material synthesis, characterisation, fabrication, and device physics to build high-quality AI training and evaluation data.
• Review and evaluate AI-generated scientific reasoning related to superconducting materials, identifying errors and improving technical accuracy.
• Design and solve expert-level problems involving critical temperature (Tc), critical current density (Jc), critical magnetic fields, flux pinning, vortex behaviour, and structure–property relationships.
• Analyse experimental results from techniques such as XRD, SEM/TEM, SQUID/VSM magnetometry, resistivity and magnetotransport measurements, spectroscopy, and cryogenic measurements.
• Rate and rank model outputs against defined scientific criteria with clear, rigorous written reasoning.
• Structure technical knowledge — including synthesis procedures, transport measurements, magnetic data, and device data — into well-organised, model-ready datasets.

Ideal Candidate

• Hands-on experimental experience with cuprate/high-temperature superconductors, iron-based superconductors, conventional superconductors, MgB₂, REBCO/YBCO systems, or emerging superconducting materials.
• Experience in superconducting material synthesis or processing: solid-state synthesis, single-crystal growth, powder processing, thin-film deposition, or related techniques.
• Strong background in characterising superconducting properties via electrical resistivity, magnetotransport, SQUID/VSM magnetometry, critical current/field measurements, or cryogenic experiments.
• Solid understanding of superconducting phenomena including Tc, Jc, Meissner effect, flux pinning, and vortex dynamics.
• Experience with superconducting thin films, heterostructures, or device fabrication (PLD, MBE, sputtering, lithography) — a plus.
• Experience with applied superconductors or superconducting devices such as Josephson junctions, SQUIDs, resonators, or superconducting quantum devices — a plus.
• Advanced degree (PhD or MS) or equivalent research experience in materials science, condensed matter physics, applied physics, chemistry, or electrical engineering.
• Clear written English with the ability to explain complex experimental results concisely.

Why Join

• Shape frontier AI for superconductivity — directly influence how advanced models reason about superconducting science.
• Technically challenging work spanning synthesis, characterisation, transport, cryogenics, thin films, and device physics.
• Translate your research expertise into AI capability for next-generation scientific models.
• Long-term collaboration at the intersection of superconductivity, materials science, and frontier AI research.