Applied Physics Specialist
Posted Today by Alignerr
Negotiable
Undetermined
Remote
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Summary: The Applied Physics Specialist role focuses on leveraging advanced physics expertise to evaluate and enhance AI's understanding of physical laws. Candidates will design complex physics problems, audit AI reasoning, and document failure modes in AI models. This fully remote position offers flexible hours and does not require prior AI experience, emphasizing a strong foundation in physics. The role is ideal for PhD-level physicists looking to contribute to cutting-edge AI research.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design Advanced Problems: Craft PhD-level, open-ended physics problems requiring multi-step logical reasoning and rigorous mathematical derivation.
- Author Ground-Truth Solutions: Write precise, step-by-step "golden responses" with flawless physical constants, unit conversions, and logical flow.
- Audit AI Reasoning: Evaluate AI-generated simulations and proofs for physical consistency, pinpointing where models hallucinate physics that violates first principles.
- Refine Model Behavior: Provide structured, expert feedback to improve physics-informed reasoning across various topics.
- Document Failure Modes: Build a rigorous record of how and where AI reasoning breaks down across different physics domains.
Key Skills:
- PhD (completed or in final stages) in Applied Physics, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a closely related field.
- Deep command of Classical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Statistical Mechanics, and Quantum Mechanics.
- Exceptional ability to communicate complex physical phenomena and mathematical derivations in clear, structured English.
- Uncompromising precision with units, scientific notation, and logical integrity of proofs.
- Self-motivated and reliable when working independently on technical tasks.
- Experience with data annotation, scientific dataset evaluation, or quality assurance workflows (nice to have).
- Proficiency with MATLAB, COMSOL, Python (NumPy/SciPy), or similar tools (nice to have).
- Background in research spanning multiple subfields of physics (nice to have).
- Familiarity with AI tools or language model behavior as an end user (nice to have).
Salary (Rate): £32.00/hr
City: Glasgow
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: remote
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: IT
Applied Physics Specialist (AI Training)
About The Role
What if your deep expertise in physics could directly influence how AI understands the fundamental laws of the universe? We're looking for PhD-level Applied Physicists to stress-test cutting-edge Large Language Models — exposing the gaps in their physical reasoning and helping shape the next generation of scientifically grounded AI. This is a fully remote, flexible contract role. No prior AI experience needed — just a mastery of physics and an uncompromising eye for scientific rigor.
Organization: Alignerr
Type: Hourly Contract
Location: Remote
Commitment: 10–40 hours/week
What You'll Do
- Design Advanced Problems: Craft PhD-level, open-ended physics problems requiring multi-step logical reasoning and rigorous mathematical derivation — think qualifying exam difficulty and beyond
- Author Ground-Truth Solutions: Write precise, step-by-step "golden responses" with flawless physical constants, unit conversions, and logical flow
- Audit AI Reasoning: Evaluate AI-generated simulations and proofs for physical consistency — pinpointing exactly where models hallucinate physics that violates first principles
- Refine Model Behavior: Provide structured, expert feedback to improve physics-informed reasoning across topics like boundary conditions, conservation laws, and symmetry principles
- Document Failure Modes: Build a rigorous record of how and where AI reasoning breaks down — from quantum mechanics to thermodynamics
Who You Are
- Holds a PhD (completed or in final stages) in Applied Physics, Physics, Engineering Physics, or a closely related field
- Deep command of the core pillars: Classical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Statistical Mechanics, and Quantum Mechanics
- Exceptional ability to communicate complex physical phenomena and mathematical derivations in clear, structured English
- Uncompromising precision with units, scientific notation, and the logical integrity of a proof
- Self-motivated and reliable when working independently on technical tasks
- No prior AI or data annotation experience required
Nice to Have
- Experience with data annotation, scientific dataset evaluation, or quality assurance workflows
- Proficiency with MATLAB, COMSOL, Python (NumPy/SciPy), or similar tools
- Background in research spanning multiple subfields of physics
- Familiarity with AI tools or language model behavior as an end user
Why Join Us
- Work on high-impact AI projects in direct collaboration with leading AI research labs
- Fully remote and flexible — work on your own schedule, from anywhere
- Freelance autonomy with the structure of meaningful, technically rigorous work
- Gain firsthand exposure to how state-of-the-art LLMs are trained and evaluated
- Contribute to ensuring that AI systems genuinely respect the laws of physics
- Potential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch