LLM Research Scientist - AI/ML

About the Role

Mercor, a company that connects top-tier creative and technical talent with leading AI research institutions, is offering a contract opportunity for a LLM Research Scientist focusing on both pre-training and post-training phases. The role is fully remote and part-time, offering competitive hourly compensation between $100 and $120.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and train transformer-based language models starting from initial phases as well as fine-tune pre-existing open-weight models.
• Enhance model performance, especially under limitations related to data availability and computational resources.
• Create training datasets by compiling large-scale raw web data sources.
• Design and maintain post-training workflows and pipelines.
• Identify and troubleshoot issues encountered during training processes to improve model quality and effectiveness.
• Operate autonomously and asynchronously to achieve defined project objectives.

Qualifications

Essential Requirements:

• At least three years of professional experience in machine learning research.
• Proficiency with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow, or equivalents.
• An academic degree from a top 100 ranked university, prior employment at a major AI tech company (e.g., FAANG), or similar robust research background.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Familiarity with scaling laws, curriculum learning techniques, and evaluation methodologies for large language models.
• Understanding of reinforcement learning applications within language modeling.
• Knowledge about model alignment practices and AI safety considerations.

Application and Support

• The application process includes uploading a resume, completing an AI-based interview related to the submitted resume, and submitting the application form; this takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
• For questions or assistance during the application, candidates can reach out to support@mercor.com.
• Applications are reviewed regularly; applicants should complete all steps, including the AI interview, to be considered.