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Hiring now · posted 1d ago Science Contract · Remote

Materials Science Expert

$85–$185/hr

Published pay. The final rate depends on your test, experience and country.

Remote · Worldwide 5 openings Language: English Posted 31 Oct 2026

About this role

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Role Title: Materials Science Expert

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Remote

Opportunity Snapshot

Pay: $80- $185/hour

Commitment: Flexible — fits alongside your current role

Location: Fully remote

You’ll need: Master’s or PhD in materials science or a closely related field, plus principal-level industry experience or a faculty appointment

Your tasks: Build challenging technical problems from your own domain and define what makes an answer correct

You'll be working on

The problems where the textbook answer isn’t enough, where the right approach depends on reading the constraints correctly, where a plausible-looking solution is quietly wrong. You’ll build those problems, provide the correct analysis, and define what separates a right answer from one that only looks right.

What you’ll do

  • Design difficult technical problems from your own area — structure-property relationships, processing, characterization, failure analysis, computational materials — with realistic constraints and supporting data.
  • Provide the correct solution and walk through the reasoning that gets there.
  • Define objective criteria for correctness, so another expert reviewing the work would reach the same verdict.
  • Review problems built by other contributors for technical accuracy and soundness of method.
  • Flag problems that turn out to be ambiguous or ungradable rather than submitting them.

What we’re looking for

  • Master’s or PhD in materials science, metallurgy, ceramics, polymer science, condensed matter physics, or a closely related field.
  • Principal, staff, or fellow-level experience in industrial or national lab research, or a faculty appointment at a leading university.
  • Deep technical depth in at least one materials subdomain, with hands-on ownership of the work.
  • Able to explain why an answer is correct clearly enough that another scientist could verify it.
  • Publications, patents, or a record of technical leadership is a strong plus.
  • AI or LLM evaluation experience is a plus, but not required.

How the selection process works

  • Apply and complete the screening questions
  • Complete the AI interview for this role — it’s how your expertise gets in front of the client
  • Profile review
  • Onboarding — our Talent Ops team will get you set up

This is a 100% remote contract role, open to applicants worldwide in the countries the employer accepts.

Technical Depth in a SubdomainEngineering Judgment Under ConstraintsKnowing When an Answer Is WrongMaterial-science

How applying works

  1. Click Apply now and enter your email.
  2. You go straight to the application. We email you a copy of this role and your link.
  3. Most platforms ask for a CV and a short skills test or AI interview in your field.
How to get this job

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What to know before you apply

Pay
At the published rate, 10 hours a week would be about $850–$1,850 and 20 hours about $1,700–$3,700 before tax. Hours depend on the project, so treat this as a ceiling, not a promise.
Location
Open worldwide in the countries the employer accepts. Payments usually go out through services like PayPal or Wise, so check one of them works in your country.
Credentials
The listing asks for a PhD. Put it in the first line of your profile: reviewers screen for it before anything else.
Timing
This listing is 1 day old. Projects can close once they have enough people, so it is worth applying while it is open.
Test tips for scientists & researchers
  • Show full derivations; partial reasoning is usually marked down.
  • Check units, assumptions and limiting cases in every AI solution.
  • Write hard original problems that break the model: that skill is in demand.
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