Research Experts for Frontier Open Questions (STEM) Part-time NEW

Research Experts for Frontier Open Questions (STEM)

Mercor is working with a leading intelligence AI lab to identify the most important open scientific questions in core STEM fields and to build structured knowledge bases that could meaningfully accelerate progress over the next decade. We're looking for exceptional PhD students and PostDocs with a clear point of view on what problems truly matter in their field and the depth to define how those problems could be tackled.

Eligibility Requirement

You will need to fill a short form in order to be eligible for this role: You will see this in addition to the AI interview in your application process. Below is guidance for what you will need to have in order to fill the form:

Consider the biggest open questions in your field, for example, the 10–15 questions where a breakthrough would make headline news. From this set, select those closest to your area of expertise: questions within or adjacent to your specialty, or those where you could mentor a student toward meaningful progress.

Specifically, we are looking for questions where:

• A major breakthrough would be widely recognized as transformative (e.g., headline news in Nature, Science, or top field-specific venues)
• Meaningful progress is plausible within the next decade (not purely speculative or dependent on unknown physics or technology)
• The question is concrete enough that progress can be evaluated (avoid umbrella questions like “How does the brain work?”)
• You have the relevant expertise to assemble a comprehensive knowledge base directly relevant to the question

What You'll Do

1. Identify high-impact open questions

• Propose major open questions where a breakthrough would be transformative
• Focus on problems that are concrete, tractable within ~10 years, and close to your expertise

2. Build a knowledge base for selected questions

• Curate a pedagogically ordered reading list (foundations → frontier)
• Include textbooks, seminal papers, key datasets, methods, recent advances, and “hidden gems”
• Assume an extremely strong student with only introductory undergraduate background

Time commitment: ~8–16 hours per selected question

Who We're Looking For

• PhD candidates or PostDocs from top-tier institutions
• Deep expertise in Chemistry, Applied Physics, or Materials Science & Engineering
• Strong judgment about significance, tractability, and research quality
• Ability to synthesize large bodies of literature into clear learning paths
• Domains: Chemistry · Applied Physics · Materials Science & Engineering
• Openings: ~5 experts per domain

Expected Outputs

• Clearly articulated, high-impact open research questions
• Structured reading lists (~30–100 sources per question)
• Brief expert commentary on why each source and approach matters

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.