Experimental Scientist / Engineer – Superconductors

About this role

Mercor is seeking **experimental scientists and engineers specialising in superconductors** to support a frontier AI research lab building advanced models for materials science and the physical sciences. This is hands-on, expert-level work: you'll apply deep, specialised knowledge of **superconducting materials, synthesis, characterisation, transport measurements, thin films, and superconducting devices** to generate, structure, and evaluate the scientific data these models learn from — and your input will directly shape how advanced models reason about superconducting materials, properties, experiments, and devices. ### Key Responsibilities: - Contribute deep domain expertise across **superconducting material synthesis, characterisation, experimental superconductivity, fabrication, and device physics** to build high-quality training and evaluation data. - Review and evaluate AI-generated scientific reasoning related to **superconducting materials and phenomena**, identifying experimental or theoretical errors and improving technical accuracy. - Design and solve challenging, expert-level problems involving **critical temperature (Tc), critical current density (Jc), critical magnetic fields, magnetic susceptibility, electrical transport, flux pinning, vortex behaviour, and structure–property relationships**. - Analyse and reason about experimental results from techniques such as **XRD, SEM/TEM, SQUID/VSM magnetometry, resistivity and magnetotransport measurements, spectroscopy, and cryogenic measurements**. - Rate and rank model outputs against defined scientific criteria, providing clear written reasoning grounded in experimental superconductivity. - Structure technical knowledge — including **synthesis procedures, processing parameters, phase and structural data, transport measurements, magnetic measurements, and device data** — into well-organised, model-ready data. - Deliver reliable, technically rigorous, high-quality work within defined timelines. ### You're a strong fit if you have: - Hands-on experimental experience with one or more classes of **superconducting materials**, including **cuprate/high-temperature superconductors, iron-based superconductors, conventional superconductors, MgB₂, REBCO/YBCO systems, or emerging superconducting materials**. - Experience with **superconducting material synthesis or processing**, such as solid-state synthesis, single-crystal growth, powder processing, thin-film deposition, or related techniques. - Strong experience characterising superconducting properties through **electrical resistivity/transport, magnetotransport, magnetic susceptibility, SQUID/VSM magnetometry, critical current measurements, critical field measurements, or cryogenic experiments**. - Strong understanding of superconducting phenomena, including **Tc, Jc, critical magnetic fields, Meissner effect, flux pinning, vortex dynamics, and the relationship between material structure and superconducting performance**. - Experience with **superconducting thin films, heterostructures, or device fabrication** using techniques such as PLD, MBE/epitaxy, sputtering, lithography, etching, or clean-room micro/nanofabrication — a plus. - Experience with **applied superconductors or superconducting devices**, such as superconducting wires and tapes, coated conductors, Josephson junctions, SQUIDs, superconducting circuits, resonators, detectors, or superconducting quantum devices — a plus. - An advanced degree (**PhD/MS**) or equivalent hands-on research experience in materials science, condensed matter physics, applied physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, or a closely related field. - Clear written English and the ability to explain complex experimental results and technical reasoning concisely. ### Why Join: - **Shape frontier AI for superconductivity:** Apply your expertise to improve how advanced AI models reason about superconducting materials, experiments, properties, and devices. - **Work on technically challenging problems:** Engage with expert-level questions spanning superconducting synthesis, characterisation, transport, cryogenic measurements, thin films, and device physics. - **Translate experimental expertise into AI capability:** Your hands-on research experience will directly contribute to creating scientifically rigorous training and evaluation data for next-generation models. - **Long-term research opportunity:** Contribute to an ongoing collaboration at the intersection of **superconductivity, materials science, and frontier AI research**.

Eligible applicant countries

This role accepts applicants from:

• USA

Skills & domains

• ai-training
• rlhf
• sme
• annotation
• Life, Physical, and Social Science