Physics Expert (Professor / Principal Investigator)
$80 – $160/hourpay
Required Skills
Physics Mastery
Expert Judgment in Ambiguous Cases
Meta-Level Reasoning
Research Leadership
Defensible Written Articulation
Role Title: Physics Expert (Professor / Principal Investigator)
Role Type: Contractor.
Location: Remote
micro1 is engaging Physics Experts—established Professors or Principal Investigators—to provide high-level domain guidance as part of an impactful project for a customer. In this role, you'll apply your expertise to help train next-generation AI systems. Your work will shape how models learn, reason, and perform through high-quality, real-world input. No prior experience in AI is required — your domain knowledge is what matters.
Scope of Work
- Adjudicate and render expert judgment on contested or competing physics arguments, solutions, or interpretations within your subfield.
- Compare alternative approaches to the same problem, detailing which is superior, under what assumptions, and in which regimes.
- Identify and articulate meta-level criteria for evaluating the robustness and validity of competing physics work, such as key assumptions and breaking points of approximations.
- Exercise calibrated confidence by providing authoritative assessments while transparently acknowledging genuine uncertainty or open questions in the field.
- Draft defensible written evaluations suitable for review by fellow senior physicists, ensuring clarity and rigor.
- Leverage technical tools such as LaTeX, SymPy, Python, and Jupyter to verify or contrast technical claims as needed.
- Clearly communicate when a question is unresolved within the field and delineate the pertinent considerations.
Preferred Qualifications
- PhD in physics with demonstrated expertise and scholarly impact in your specified subfield.
- Current or former Associate Professor, Full Professor, Chair Professor, or Principal Investigator/Group Leader with a track record of independent research leadership.
- Ongoing research activity in one or more of these areas: High Energy Physics, Mathematical Physics, Biophysics, Statistical Physics, Condensed Matter, AMO/Quantum Optics, Gravitation, Cosmology, Astrophysics, Quantum Information, or Optical Properties of Materials.
- 3–5 recent representative publications in your target subfield, with arXiv or DOI references.
- Prior experience supervising PhD students or postdocs, or equivalent leadership in industry research settings.
- Proficiency with LaTeX, SymPy, Python, and Jupyter (please indicate any gaps in experience with these tools).
- Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to articulate nuanced and well-reasoned judgments.
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