STEM Researcher — Computational Fields at Mercor

STEM Researcher — Computational Fields | $60–90/hr | Remote in US

Join a leading AI lab's GenAI team and play a central role in shaping the next generation of agentic evaluation benchmarks for frontier AI models. This is a full-time W-2 position (~35 hrs/week) employed through Cincinnatus LLC, fully remote within the United States.

About the Role

A top-tier AI lab is recruiting researchers from computational STEM fields — and computationally intensive social sciences or humanities — to bring real working-researcher rigor to benchmark design. You will translate the scientific method into complex, multi-step tasks that today's most advanced models cannot yet reliably complete. Each task represents one to two days of focused effort, spanning study design, Python implementation, data analysis, and written conclusions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design tasks: Convert your everyday research skills — study design, hypothesis testing, result evaluation — into engaging, multi-step benchmark tasks.
• Author solutions: Work through your own tasks in Python and notebooks with the rigor expected of a careful, senior colleague.
• Define quality standards: Help articulate what separates sound scientific reasoning from reasoning that merely sounds correct.
• Evaluate models: Review model attempts at your tasks and identify the methodological mistakes a working researcher would immediately recognize.
• Collaborate: Work alongside researchers and fellow domain experts to maintain consistency and accuracy across evaluations.

Core Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in a STEM field, computational social science, or humanities — or equivalent practical research experience involving data analysis and coding.
• 1+ years of active research experience (academia, industry, or national labs).
• Significant computational work in your own research: Python-based analysis, simulation, modeling, or data pipelines.
• Strong grounding in experimental design, hypothesis testing, and rigorous evaluation.
• Working familiarity with Git, IDEs, and notebook environments (Jupyter or Colab).
• Prior experience in AI training, model evaluation, or benchmark/task authoring is a plus.
• High attention to detail, creativity in task design, strong written communication, and comfort working independently through open-ended problems.

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology firms to place highly skilled professionals in structured, role-based positions. Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance while embedding employees directly within client teams.

Cincinnatus is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process.