[Contract] Astronomy Expert (Olympiad or PhD)

[Contract] Astronomy Expert (Olympiad or PhD)

Mercor

Remote

Role Overview

Mercor is collaborating with a leading AI research group on a project to advance frontier astronomy problem-solving in multilingual contexts. We are seeking astronomy experts with either International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) or a PhD in astronomy. The goal of this project is to collect, organize, and curate high-level astronomy questions and resources from diverse international sources to support the training of cutting-edge AI models. This is a short-term, remote opportunity for those excited about applying their expertise to frontier AI research.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research to identify advanced astronomy questions and resources (in any language)
• Curate and organize files into a structured dataset
• Ensure the scientific accuracy and difficulty level of sourced materials
• Extract detailed reasoning frameworks and analyses from academic source materials

Ideal Qualifications

Background in astronomy with one of the following:

• Medalist or participant in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (preferred)
• PhD in any subfield of astronomy

Other qualifications:

• Strong ability to evaluate the rigor and complexity of astronomy problems
• Multilingual background or experience working with international astronomy resources preferred
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills

More About the Opportunity

• Remote and asynchronous - set your own schedule
• Expected time commitment: 10–20 hours/week
• Short-term engagement, estimated 1–2 months
• Flexible participation for experts with varying availability

Compensation & Contract Terms

• $75/hour for services rendered
• Independent contractor engagement
• Payments issued weekly via Stripe Connect