Research Expert - Frontier STEM Questions at Mercor

Research Expert for Frontier STEM Questions | $80–90/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is partnering with a leading intelligence AI lab to identify the most critical open scientific questions in core STEM fields and build structured knowledge bases that could meaningfully accelerate progress over the next decade.

We're seeking exceptional PhD students and PostDocs with deep expertise in Chemistry, Applied Physics, or Materials Science & Engineering who have a clear perspective on what problems truly matter in their field and the depth to define how those problems could be tackled.

Eligibility Requirement

You will need to complete a short form as part of your application process. You should be prepared to identify the biggest open questions in your field—specifically, the 10–15 questions where a breakthrough would make headline news. From this set, select those closest to your area of expertise.

We're looking for questions where:

• A major breakthrough would be widely recognized as transformative (e.g., headline news in Nature, Science, or top field-specific venues)
• Meaningful progress is plausible within the next decade (not purely speculative)
• The question is concrete enough that progress can be evaluated
• You have the relevant expertise to assemble a comprehensive knowledge base

What You'll Do

1. Identify high-impact open questions

• Propose major open questions where a breakthrough would be transformative
• Focus on problems that are concrete, tractable within ~10 years, and close to your expertise

2. Build a knowledge base for selected questions

• Curate a pedagogically ordered reading list (foundations → frontier)
• Include textbooks, seminal papers, key datasets, methods, recent advances, and "hidden gems"
• Assume an extremely strong student with only introductory undergraduate background

Time commitment: ~8–16 hours per selected question

Who We're Looking For

• PhD candidates or PostDocs from top-tier institutions
• Deep expertise in Chemistry, Applied Physics, or Materials Science & Engineering
• Strong judgment about significance, tractability, and research quality
• Ability to synthesize large bodies of literature into clear learning paths

Domains: Chemistry · Applied Physics · Materials Science & Engineering

Openings: ~5 experts per domain

Expected Outputs

• Clearly articulated, high-impact open research questions
• Structured reading lists (~30–100 sources per question)
• Brief expert commentary on why each source and approach matters