Nuclear Engineering & Safeguards Expert at Mercor

Nuclear Engineering & Safeguards Expert (Red Team) | $65–75/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is assembling a panel of elite nuclear domain experts to red-team frontier AI models. This is a writing-intensive, task-based engagement where your expertise will directly shape how AI systems handle sensitive technical queries — distinguishing legitimate research from genuinely dangerous requests.

What You'll Do

• Craft challenging single-turn prompts across three classification levels: benign, dual-use, and adversarial
• Evaluate AI-generated responses against a defined policy standard and render written judgments on whether each was handled appropriately
• Author reference answers — articulating what a correct response looks like and the technical reasoning behind it

Ideal Backgrounds

We're seeking candidates with fuel-cycle depth and meaningful exposure to how nuclear material is controlled, accounted for, or potentially diverted. Safeguards and nonproliferation experience is the strongest signal. Relevant profiles include:

• Safeguards Analyst / IAEA or Euratom Inspector — material accountancy, inspection regimes, Additional Protocol
• Nuclear Engineer, Fuel Cycle — enrichment, reprocessing, criticality, end-to-end processes
• Nuclear Security Engineer (National Laboratory) — MPC&A, insider threat, physical protection design
• Nuclear Forensics Scientist — radioxenon monitoring, attribution, detection and characterisation
• Nonproliferation Analyst — export control, NSG trigger lists, acquisition and smuggling pathways

Prior red-teaming experience is a strong plus. Technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is highly valued — please include a writing sample or link in your application.

Important Notes

• This work must not draw on classified, export-controlled, or NDA-protected information. If you hold such obligations, note this in your application and we will scope the work accordingly.
• You will be reading and writing about misuse scenarios for sustained periods. Full briefings are provided in advance, and you may pause or step away at any time without penalty.