[Contract] STEM PhD (AI Subject Matter Experts)

[Contract] STEM PhD (AI Subject Matter Experts)

Mercor

Remote

Role Overview

Mercor is partnering with a leading research organization seeking independent experts with strong backgrounds in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Contractors will support a study focused on evaluating the quality, novelty, and methodological rigor of modern ML research. This engagement involves analyzing academic papers, inspecting code and experiment logs, and assessing the credibility and originality of submitted work. This is a short-term, flexible contract suitable for technically proficient AI researchers and practitioners.

Key Responsibilities

• Critically review machine learning papers for methodological soundness, novelty, and clarity.
• Inspect Python source code and experimental logs to validate reported metrics against underlying data.
• Conduct literature reviews using tools such as Google Scholar or Semantic Scholar to identify prior work, detect plagiarism, and assess research originality.
• Provide structured feedback on “human-quality” research assessments and potential ethical or safety-related concerns.
• Submit non-identifying background details (e.g., affiliation, highest degree, publication links) to establish evaluator credibility for the study.

Ideal Qualifications

• Strong academic or professional background in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or related research domains.
• Experience interpreting and analyzing ML papers; familiarity with top-tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML) is preferred but not required.
• Ability to read and evaluate Python code, experimental pipelines, and quantitative logs.
• Demonstrated experience with academic literature review tools.
• Doctoral students, industry researchers, and published authors are encouraged to provide services.
• High attention to detail and ability to assess complex technical arguments.

Contract Terms

• Payments are issued regularly based on completed work via Mercor’s platform.
• Start date: Immediate.