ML Research PhD Experts (ICML / NeurIPS / ICLR Publications)

Engineering & Software • Independent Contractor • Remote • Weekly Payouts

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Overview

The ML Research PhD Experts (ICML / NeurIPS / ICLR Publications) role is a remote contract position. It suits experienced professionals who want flexible, project-based AI work reviewed on a rolling basis. You collaborate directly with client teams on real deliverables that help train and evaluate next-generation AI systems, with no long-term commitment required.

We're looking to rapidly assemble a small group of world-class machine learning researchers for an initial pilot. This is a high-priority engagement with an accelerated timeline, so both exceptional candidate quality and fast turnaround are critical. We're specifically seeking researchers with demonstrated contributions to frontier ML research, particularly those driving algorithmic innovation rather than applied analytics.

Candidate Requirements

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, AI, or a closely related field
• Published at least one main conference paper at ICML, NeurIPS, or ICLR
• Strong preference for candidates with 2+ publications at these venues
• Demonstrated experience conducting original ML research

Preferred Research Areas

• Reinforcement Learning (RL)
• Meta-Learning
• Recursive Self-Improvement
• AI for Science (e.g. weather forecasting, protein modeling, scientific discovery)

Timeline

Priority: Urgent

Expected Schedule

• Initial data/results: Monday / Tuesday 27th July
• * *

Success Criteria

Candidates should have a proven record of advancing state-of-the-art machine learning through publications at top-tier conferences and possess deep expertise in frontier ML research. Speed of sourcing is important, but quality should not be compromised.

Details

• Pay: $60 to $100 per hour (hourly)
• Commitment: 40 hours per week • remote
• Eligible locations: United States
• Platform: Mercor (weekly payouts via Stripe or Wise)

Submit your application via the link below. Qualified candidates move through Mercor's short AI interview and selection process. Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.