Senior Data Scientist | Upto $100/hr Part-time

<strong>About The Job<br><br></strong><strong>Mercor</strong> connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include <strong>Benchmark</strong>, <strong>General Catalyst</strong>, <strong>Peter Thiel</strong>, <strong>Adam D'Angelo</strong>, <strong>Larry Summers</strong>, and <strong>Jack Dorsey</strong>.<br><br><strong>Position:</strong> Researcher and Technical Expert<br><br><strong>Type:</strong> <strong>Contract<br><br></strong><strong>Compensation:</strong> <strong>$50–$100/hour<br><br></strong><strong>Commitment:</strong> <strong>30+ hours/week<br><br></strong><strong>Role Responsibilities<br><br></strong><ul><li>Design challenging, real-world STEM problems to evaluate model reasoning and problem-solving.</li><li>Implement tasks using Python in an agentic development environment.</li><li>Analyze model/agent behavior to diagnose reasoning gaps and improve performance.</li><li>Develop reproducible and testable deliverables with clear specifications and deterministic tests.</li><li>Collaborate with AI research teams to enhance model outputs and training data quality.</li><li>Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines and project goals.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Qualifications<br><br></strong><strong>Must-Have<br><br></strong><ul><li>Deep expertise in data science, machine learning, finance, and/or Python-based coding.</li><li>Active or recently graduated PhD (Top 20 U.S.-based school).</li><li>Strong research background in frontier STEM topics.</li><li>Ability to engage reliably for 30+ hours/week, primarily on weekdays.</li><li>Demonstrated technical output such as high-quality open-source contributions.</li><li>Comfort reading and reasoning about agent behavior traces to diagnose failure modes.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Preferred<br><br></strong><ul><li>Familiarity with agentic frameworks and OSS ecosystems like LangChain, MetaGPT, AutoGen, AutoGPT, CrewAI, LlamaIndex, BabyAGI, SuperAGI, CAMEL, AgentGPT, Dify.<br><br></li></ul><strong>Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)<br><br></strong><ul><li>Upload resume</li><li>AI interview based on your resume</li><li>Submit form<br><br></li></ul><strong>Resources & Support<br><br></strong><ul><li>For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome/welcome</li><li>For any help or support, reach out to: support@mercor.com<br><br></li></ul><em>PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.<br><br></em>,<br><br>

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...