Radiological Safety Red-Teaming Expert at Mercor

Radiological Safety Red-Teaming Expert | $65–75/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is assembling a panel of radiological safety experts to red-team frontier AI models — evaluating whether models can correctly distinguish legitimate professional inquiries from genuinely dangerous requests in the radiological domain.

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, judging whether each was handled appropriately
• Author reference answers — documenting what a correct response looks like and the technical reasoning behind it

Why This Work Matters

Radiological safety sits on the dual-use line more than almost any other domain. The same isotope underpins cancer therapy and industrial radiography; the same shielding calculation that protects a worker can also conceal a source. A model that refuses a routine dose question is failing just as badly as one that answers something it shouldn't. Drawing that line reliably requires practitioners — not generalists.

Ideal Backgrounds

We're looking for professionals who have held direct responsibility for radioactive material — not just worked near it. Relevant experience includes:

• Radiation Safety Officer (broad-scope licensee) — source custody, licensing, acquisition, inventory, transfer, and disposal
• Health Physicist (DOE site or national lab) — survey, assay, contamination control, and dose planning in high-hazard facilities
• Source Security / Vulnerability Assessment Specialist — experience assessing how Category 1 and 2 sources are stolen, shielded, or moved
• Radiological Emergency Response Specialist — FRMAC, CBRN response, dispersal and contamination modeling
• Nuclear Medicine Physicist / Cyclotron RSO — medical isotope production and handling

Prior red-teaming experience is a strong plus.

Additional Requirements

This is writing-intensive work. Every judgment requires a written rationale that a non-specialist can follow. Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is highly valued — please include a writing sample or link in your application.

You will be reading and writing about misuse scenarios for sustained periods. Experts are fully briefed in advance, and you may pause or step away at any time without penalty.

Important Note

This work must not draw on classified, export-controlled, or NDA-protected information. If you hold such obligations, you may still be eligible — please disclose this in your application and we will scope the work accordingly.