COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS EXPERT - PHD

About the job Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark , General Catalyst , Peter Thiel , Adam D'Angelo , Larry Summers , and Jack Dorsey . Position: Computational Structural & Mechanical Engineering Expert Type: Contract Compensation: $70–$85/hour Location: Remote Commitment: 15–20 hours/week Role Responsibilities • Design challenging computational problems to test AI capabilities in solving scientific and engineering tasks. • Develop problems requiring skilled use of open-source, domain-specific computational tools like FEniCSx/DOLFINx , OpenFOAM , deal.II , and others. • Evaluate AI models by testing them against state-of-the-art benchmarks and refine problems to achieve the desired difficulty. • Collaborate with AI research teams to improve problem designs and ensure they test strategic reasoning and problem-solving. • Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines and refine problem designs based on feedback. Qualifications Must-Have • Graduate-level training in a relevant STEM field ( MS, PhD, or equivalent research experience ). • Proven proficiency with at least one of the listed scientific software libraries through research publications, open-source contributions, or professional work. • Strong Python skills for writing problem setups, oracle functions, and solution validators. • Ability to work independently and refine problem designs based on feedback. • Comfortable working in a Linux/terminal environment with remote compute sandboxes. Preferred • Experience across multiple listed domains or tools. • Familiarity with benchmark or evaluation design. • Background in scientific teaching or exam/problem-set design. • Experience with computational reproducibility and containerized environments. Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete) • Upload resume • AI interview based on your resume • Submit form Resources & Support • For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome • For any help or support, reach out to: support@mercor.com PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.