Inorganic Materials, Semiconductor & Superconductor Experts

$84/hrrate as listed

Mercor is hiring experimental materials scientists — inorganic synthesis, superconductors, semiconductors and advanced packaging — to build and grade the scientific data a frontier lab uses to train physical-science models. Work is remote, US-based, and runs from 10 to 40 hours per week at an observed rate near $84/hr.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

What the work actually involves

You write and evaluate expert-level materials science content, not lab work. A typical shift mixes several task types: authoring hard problems in your specialization (a phase-purity puzzle from an XRD pattern, a transport-measurement artifact, a thermal budget conflict in a 2.5D packaging flow), writing the reference solution with reasoning that survives scrutiny, and grading model attempts against a rubric. Other days you'll structure existing knowledge — a synthesis procedure, a characterization workflow, process-window data — into clean, model-readable form, with units, conditions, and assumptions made explicit. Rankings and ratings require written justification; "this one is wrong" is not a deliverable, "the model assumed Tc onset where the rubric specifies zero-resistance Tc, so the 12 K figure is inconsistent with the plotted data" is.

What the screen looks for

Mercor's process is AI-led: a recorded conversational interview plus resume parsing, followed by paid or unpaid sample tasks. The interviewer probes depth rather than breadth — expect to be asked what instrument you personally operated, what you did when a growth run drifted, and how you distinguished a real feature from an artifact. Vague answers get follow-ups. Reviewers also weight written clarity heavily, since most of your output is prose: concise technical explanation, correct terminology, and the discipline to flag uncertainty rather than bluff. Claiming a technique you've only read about is the most common way candidates fail the second round.

Fit and logistics

Remote, US-based, asynchronous — you pick hours inside task deadlines, which usually run a few days.
10 hours/week minimum, up to 40; long-term and ongoing rather than a one-off batch.
$84/hr is the observed rate for this listing, not a guarantee — Mercor sets pay per project and per candidate, and rates can shift with task type or seniority tier.
Strongest fits hold a PhD or MS in materials science, chemistry, physics, or a related engineering field, with genuine hands-on time at the bench, the beamline, or in the cleanroom.

If you enjoy explaining why a result is wrong, and you can do it in four sentences, this work suits you. If you're looking for open-ended research with no rubric, it won't.

What they look for

Hands-on experimental experience in inorganic synthesis (solid-state, solvothermal, sol-gel), superconducting materials, or semiconductors and advanced packaging
Materials and device characterization: XRD, SEM/TEM, spectroscopy, electrical and transport measurements
PhD or MS in materials science, chemistry, physics, or related engineering (or equivalent bench experience)
Clear, concise technical writing in English with explicit reasoning
Thin-film growth or device fabrication — MBE/epitaxy, MOCVD, CVD, sputtering, IBAD, etch, cleanroom microfabrication (plus)
Comfort working to rubrics and deadlines in an async, remote setup

Before you apply

Would you pass this screen?

Drawn from what this listing actually requires. Answered in your browser — nothing is sent to us, and we do not store your answers.

Do you have a PhD or MS in materials science, chemistry, physics, or a related engineering field, or can you document equivalent hands-on research experience in materials synthesis or characterization outside a degree program?
Advanced degree or equivalent hands-on experience · required
Have you personally conducted hands-on experimental work in inorganic synthesis, superconducting materials, or semiconductors—such as solid-state reactions, solvothermal synthesis, MOCVD, CVD, or device fabrication?
Hands-on synthesis experience · required
Have you personally operated materials characterization equipment such as XRD, SEM, TEM, spectroscopy tools, or electrical/transport measurement systems?
Characterization technique proficiency · required
Are you authorized to work in the United States and able to work remotely from a US time zone?
Work authorization and location · required
Can you commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week for ongoing work over the next 3 months?
Minimum availability · required
Have you hands-on experience with thin-film growth (MBE, epitaxy, MOCVD, CVD, sputtering) or clean-room device fabrication and microfabrication processes?
Thin-film or fabrication experience · preferred

0 of 6 answered

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 12 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: Whether you have genuine hands-on synthesis experience and can articulate the experimental decisions that separate competent work from expert-level judgment.
A strong answer: You name a specific material (e.g., a cuprate superconductor, a perovskite, a wide-bandgap semiconductor), the method (solid-state, solvothermal, MOCVD), key process parameters you controlled, and a real obstacle—phase purity, stoichiometry, nucleation—you solved by reasoning through materials chemistry, not trial-and-error.
Where people lose it: Describing synthesis at textbook level ('we mixed precursors and heated them') without naming the material, technique, or any real experimental friction you encountered and resolved.