Mathematics Research Collaborator (Part-time)

We are recruiting a select cohort of accomplished mathematicians to contribute to the next generation of AI systems for scientific and mathematical reasoning. Our partner labs are building models that need to reason about pure and applied mathematics — number theory, algebra, algebraic geometry, topology, analysis, PDEs, probability, combinatorics, dynamical systems, logic, representation theory, mathematical physics, and adjacent areas of theoretical computer science and statistics — at the level of a working research mathematician, not a textbook. To get there, they need contributors whose own research sits at the frontier.

This position will be placed at a leading AI lab as part of their extended workforce.

What you'll do

• Review and evaluate research papers in mathematics for correctness, novelty, and rigor
• Author and review challenging mathematics problems used to train and evaluate frontier AI models
• Evaluate model outputs on tasks ranging from proof construction and verification to problem-solving, formalization, and conjecture exploration
• Surface areas where current models fail — especially the subtle errors a working mathematician would catch immediately: an unjustified step, a misapplied hypothesis, a hand-waved lemma, or a proof that is plausible but wrong
• Collaborate with a small program team and other senior contributors

Qualifications

We're looking for researchers who meet several of the following:

• First-author or sole-author publications in journals such as Annals of Mathematics, Inventiones Mathematicae, Journal of the AMS, Acta Mathematica, Duke Mathematical Journal, Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, Geometry & Topology, JEMS, GAFA, Advances in Mathematics, or Probability Theory and Related Fields (for adjacent fields, top-tier venues such as STOC, FOCS, SODA, or Annals of Statistics also qualify)
• A doctorate or postdoctoral training from a top-20 global institution in mathematics or a related STEM field
• A competitive fellowship or honor, such as the Clay Research Fellowship, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship or NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Packard Fellowship, a Simons Fellowship or Simons Investigatorship, an AMS Centennial Fellowship, a Hertz Fellowship, a Marshall or Rhodes Scholarship, the New Horizons in Mathematics Prize, the Salem Prize, or the Ramanujan Prize; earlier-career applicants may instead point to a Putnam Fellow placement or an International Mathematical Olympiad medal
• An NSF CAREER award or comparable grant held as a named Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator
• Current or recent experience in an active research role, as a PhD candidate, postdoctoral researcher, instructor, faculty member, principal researcher, or industry research mathematician

Outstanding senior PhD students and recent graduates with strong publication records are strongly encouraged to apply; the depth of your research output matters more than years of experience.

Engagement

• Part-time: up to 20 hours per week
• Compensation reflects research seniority and credentials

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus LLC serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Cincinnatus LLC is a legal entity separate from Mercor. While opportunities may be discovered through Mercor's platform, employment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits for these roles are administered by Cincinnatus LLC.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus LLC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Cincinnatus LLC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans throughout the job application process.

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.