Forensic Scientist — Nuclear Materials at Mercor

Forensic Scientist — Nuclear Materials | $65–75/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is assembling a panel of nuclear materials and safeguards experts to red-team frontier AI models. This task-based contract role focuses on testing whether AI systems can correctly distinguish legitimate technical inquiries from genuinely dangerous requests — a critical challenge in one of the most sensitive dual-use domains.

What You'll Do

• Write challenging single-turn prompts across three classification levels: benign, dual-use, and adversarial
• Evaluate AI-generated responses against a defined policy standard and judge whether each was handled correctly
• Author reference answers — including the technically sound response and a clear rationale for why the line was drawn where it was

Ideal Background

We're looking for practitioners who have characterized real nuclear material and can reliably distinguish a routine professional question from one that's probing for misuse. Relevant experience includes:

• Nuclear forensics casework or international exercise participation — sample characterization and attribution
• Radiochemical and mass-spectrometric analysis — isotopics, age dating, impurity and process signatures
• Detection and interdiction technology — portal monitors, handheld identification, search operations
• Material signature libraries, reference materials, and attribution methodology
• Pre- or post-detonation forensics research at a national laboratory or agency

Beyond Technical Expertise

This is writing-intensive work. Every judgment requires a written rationale accessible to a non-specialist. Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is a strong signal — please include a writing sample or link in your application.

Important Notes

Your work must not draw on classified, export-controlled, or NDA-protected information. If you hold such obligations, you may still qualify — note this in your application and the scope will be adjusted accordingly. You can pause or step away from sensitive content at any time without penalty.