Materials Science and Engineering Expert

AfterQuery builds the expert evaluation data that frontier AI labs use to measure and improve their models. We're hiring materials scientists and engineers as contractors to author and grade the selection and failure analysis scenarios those evaluations run on.

What you'll actually do

• Author realistic materials scenarios, from selection through failure analysis
• Write reference answers with the structure property reasoning behind each decision
• Grade model output for technical accuracy and practical feasibility
• Flag recommendations that read plausible but would fail in service

Who this is for

• Scientists and engineers with a degree in materials science and engineering or a closely related field
• Practitioners with at least 2 years of professional materials engineering or R&D experience
• Specialists with depth in at least one materials class such as metals, polymers, ceramics, or semiconductors
• Clear writers who can document the reasoning behind a materials decision

Contract and pay

• $100 to $130/hr, paid weekly via Stripe. Your rate is set from your experience, not negotiated down after you start.
• Fully remote, fully async. No fixed hours.
• Minimum 10 hours per week, no maximum. Scale up or down week to week.
• No screen recording, no keystroke monitoring, no idle timers.
• Independent contractor. Ongoing project work rather than single task batches.

How our hiring process works

1. Apply at /apply/materials-science-and-engineering-expert. About five minutes. Resume plus a few structured questions.
2. Resume review. Every application gets read against a published rubric and gets a decision.
3. Written assessment. You may be asked to take a written assessment for further placement.
4. Onboarding. Sign the contractor agreement, connect Stripe, and get platform access.
5. Project match. You're matched to live work in your specialty, usually within a week of onboarding.

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is an expert data lab. We build the evaluation and training data that frontier AI labs use to measure what their models can and can't do in real professional work. Our contributors are practicing professionals, not annotators, and the work is credited, reviewed, and paid at professional rates.

Responsibilities

• Author realistic materials scenarios from selection through failure analysis
• Write reference answers with the structure property reasoning behind each decision
• Grade model output for technical accuracy and practical feasibility
• Flag recommendations that read plausible but would fail in service

Requirements

• Degree in materials science and engineering or a closely related field
• 2+ years of professional materials engineering or R&D experience
• Depth in at least one materials class such as metals, polymers, ceramics, or semiconductors
• Clear written English for documenting materials reasoning
• Able to commit at least 10 hours per week

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree or peer reviewed publications
• Characterization depth such as SEM, XRD, or DSC
• Failure analysis or process qualification experience

Why Apply

• $100 to $130/hr, paid weekly via Stripe
• 100% remote and fully async
• Shape how frontier models reason about materials science
• Ongoing project work with hours you set each week