Pure Mathematics Research Expert (PhD)

Mercor is seeking researchers in Pure Mathematics for a premier project with one of the world's top AI labs.

In this role, you will contribute your mathematical expertise to a cutting-edge project involving state-of-the-art large language models. Specifically, you will help create high-quality data that will inform the future of AI innovation by constructing rigorous problems and solutions in your area of specialization.

You're a good fit if you:

• Are a professor (Assistant, Associate, or Full), postdoctoral fellow/associate, or a late-stage (year 4+) PhD student in pure mathematics

• Specialize in areas such as:

  • Algebraic Topology

  • Number Theory

  • Algebraic Geometry

  • Representation Theory

  • Operator Algebras

  • Differential Geometry

  • Set Theory

• Have a demonstrated record of publishing original results in leading pure-math journals or presenting at major conferences

• Routinely engage in day-to-day work that involves:

  • Proving new theorems

  • Constructing counterexamples

  • Formulating conjectures

  • Refining rigorous proofs

• Are actively engaged in hands-on research (not just in a supervisory role), regularly writing proofs, drafting papers, and participating in seminars or reading groups

• Have strong written communication skills

Note: We are not currently seeking researchers focused on applied mathematics.

Here are more details about the role:

• The role is ongoing, starting at the end of June/beginning of July and continuing with rolling applications

• The project involves 10–20 hours of work per week with the potential to expand up to 40 hours per week

Ideal candidates include:

• Faculty who maintain an active research program alongside mentoring and light teaching responsibilities

• Postdoctoral researchers or late-stage PhD students with significant first-author publications, invited talks, or preprints on arXiv in reputable pure-math categories

• Mathematicians committed to high levels of rigor, abstraction, and originality in their research

Screening Process:

• You will need to complete a short interview and form, which will take a total of 20–30 minutes to fully apply

Apply today and leverage your pure mathematics expertise to advance cutting-edge AI models!

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.