Earth Science & Geology Expert

AfterQuery builds the expert evaluation data that frontier AI labs use to measure and improve their models. We're hiring geologists and earth scientists as contractors to author and grade the geoscience and climate scenarios those evaluations run on.

What you'll actually do

• Author realistic geoscience scenarios from field observation through interpretation, the kind a working geologist actually reasons through.
• Write reference answers with the geological reasoning behind each interpretation, processes and timescales weighed.
• Grade model output on geoscience and climate questions for physical accuracy and appropriate uncertainty.
• Flag explanations that read fluent but get the earth science wrong, the misses only a trained geoscientist would catch.

Who this is for

• Geologists and earth scientists with an advanced degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Researchers, industry geologists, and consultants across sedimentology, hydrology, geophysics, volcanology, and climate science.
• Scientists who reason from process and evidence, whether the data comes from an outcrop, a core, or a model.
• People with strong written English who can turn scientific judgment into clear, teachable reasoning.

Contract and pay

• $60 to $110/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/earth-science-geology-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 geoscience scenarios from field observation through interpretation
• Write reference answers with the geological reasoning behind each interpretation
• Grade model output on geoscience and climate questions for physical accuracy
• Flag explanations that read fluent but get the earth science wrong

Requirements

• Advanced degree in geology, earth science, or a closely related field
• 2+ years of research, industry, or field experience in the geosciences
• Depth in an area such as sedimentology, hydrology, geophysics, or climate science
• Clear written English for documenting scientific reasoning
• Able to commit at least 10 hours per week

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or professional geologist licensure
• GIS, remote sensing, or geospatial modeling skills
• Energy, mining, environmental consulting, or government survey experience

Why Apply

• Work stays in your specialty, judged on scientific judgment rather than output volume
• Set your own hours and scale up or down week to week
• Weekly pay via Stripe at a rate set from your experience
• Your judgment shapes how the next generation of AI handles earth and climate science