STEM Researcher (MSc/PhD, MacBook Required) at Mercor
posted 1 hour agoSTEM Researcher (MSc/PhD) | $50-60/hr | Remote | Contractor, 10-20 hrs/week
About the role
Mercor is hiring STEM researchers who hold or are currently pursuing an MSc or PhD to support a research project with a leading AI lab. You will work through real research workflows on your own Mac to help benchmark and improve cutting-edge AI models.
What you'll do
- Complete and narrate real research tasks on your Mac, including literature review, data analysis, modeling and technical writing
- Explain your reasoning clearly as you work, producing high-quality training data for advanced AI models
- Work within clearly structured responsibilities, without the high pressure typically found in internships or full-time consulting roles
Requirements
- You must own a MacBook or Mac with an Apple M-series chip or Intel processor, running macOS 15 or higher. Applicants without a Mac cannot be considered.
- Currently pursuing or have completed an MSc or PhD in a STEM field (e.g., physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, engineering)
- Hands-on research experience with tools such as Python/Jupyter, MATLAB, R, LaTeX, reference managers or lab/data analysis software
- Strong online research skills and ability to gather and clearly summarize information from diverse sources
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Pay and schedule
- $50-60 per hour
- Part-time, approximately 10-20 hours per week
- Immediate start preferred
Hiring process
- Submit your resume
- Brief 3-minute conversation with an AI interviewer to assess research and reasoning skills
- Short paid assessment to evaluate fit
- Follow-up within a few days on application status and next steps
How to apply for this role
- Upload your resume — keep it up-to-date and in English. Mercor will auto-fill your profile from it.
- Complete the AI interview — a 15-minute conversation about your experience. Be ready to discuss specific projects and challenges you've solved.
- Submit your application — only about 20% of applicants finish all the steps, so completing yours puts you well ahead.