STEM OCR Specialists

Mathematics & STEM Textbook QA Specialist (OCR + LaTeX)

Mercor is partnering with a leading frontier AI research lab on an initiative to improve math and STEM reasoning. We’re building high-quality training and evaluation data from public-domain textbooks, and we’re looking for detail-oriented STEM experts to validate and repair extracted problem–solution content.

This role is ideal for people who are strong at proof-based math reading, precise transcription, and LaTeX formatting, and who enjoy meticulous quality work.

Key Responsibilities

• Validate math/STEM question–answer pairs extracted from textbook PDFs, identifying errors introduced by OCR or extraction.

• Compare extracted text to the source PDF and correct transcription issues (symbols, subscripts/superscripts, missing terms, etc.).

• Fix and standardize LaTeX formatting so all expressions render correctly and match the source.

• Extract and label relevant context (problem statements, surrounding definitions, hints, solution steps, short answers) and record correct PDF viewer page numbers.

• Revise raw textbook content into clean QA format when the original is demonstrative (e.g., “Show that…”) or references missing equations/figures.

• Assess solution quality (correctness, completeness, logical consistency) and flag gaps, incorrect steps, or mismatches with the stated answer.

• Maintain consistently high standards for precision, structure, and correctness.

Required Qualifications

• Strong proficiency with LaTeX math formatting (required).

• Background in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or related STEM (BA/BS/Masters/PhD or equivalent rigor).

• Comfort reading and verifying multi-step mathematical reasoning (including proofs and textbook solutions).

• Excellent attention to detail and ability to follow a structured workflow exactly.

• Strong written communication for clear, concise technical notes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proof-based coursework (e.g., real analysis, abstract algebra, proof-based linear algebra).

• Experience as a TA/grader, tutor, contest solution writer, or math editor.

• Familiarity with common OCR failure modes in STEM text (misread symbols, broken equations, malformed fractions, etc.).

• Ability to handle advanced undergraduate / occasional graduate-level material.

What You’ll Be Evaluating

You’ll work on a range of textbook-style content, including:

• Exercises and examples across math and STEM

• Proof-oriented problems

• Occasionally multi-part questions, with dependencies across subparts

• Problems that require careful handling of figures/diagrams and referenced equations

More About the Opportunity

• Potential commitment: 15 hours/week minimum, up to 40 hours/week

• Approximate project length: 2-3 weeks

• Work is structured and quality-focused; speed matters less than correctness

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.