Mercor is working with a leading intelligence AI lab to identify the most important open questions in core AI/ML 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 an expert 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 technology)
- The question is concrete enough that progress can be evaluated (avoid umbrella questions like “How does the ML 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, and close to your expertise
2. Build a knowledge base for selected questions
- Seminal papers, key datasets, methods, recent advances, and “hidden gems”
- Assume an extremely strong expert all knowledge up until 6 months ago (1st October, 2025)
Time commitment: ~8–16 hours per selected question
Who We’re Looking For
- PhD candidates or PostDocs from top-tier institutions
- Deep expertise in AI/ML/Engineering
- Strong judgment about significance, tractability, and research quality
- Ability to synthesize large bodies of literature into clear learning paths
- Openings: ~50 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.
Contract and Payment Terms
- You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
- This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
- Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
- Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
- Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
- Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.
About Mercor
Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.
