Forensic Scientist – Nuclear Materials

Mercor

. Write challenging single-turn prompts in nuclear materials and safeguards, labelled as benign, dual-use, or adversarial .

Posted 9/22/2026contractRemote • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $65 - $75 per hourWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in nuclear materials characterization, including detection and attribution, alongside strong technical writing skills to communicate complex concepts clearly. Proficient in radiochemical analysis and adept at evaluating misuse scenarios while adhering to compliance standards.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Nuclear Materials CharacterizationRadiochemical AnalysisTechnical WritingDetection TechnologyNuclear Forensics

ATS Keywords

Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

DetectionAttributionAnalytical WorkMass-Spectrometric AnalysisIsotopicsAge DatingMaterial Signature LibrariesReference MaterialsPre- or Post-Detonation ForensicsRed-Teaming

Soft Skills

JudgmentRationale WritingDistinguishing Questions

Tools & Technologies

Portal MonitorsHandheld IdentificationSearch Operations

Industry Keywords

Nuclear ForensicsMisuse ScenariosTechnical Misuse PotentialPolicy StandardDefensible Conclusions

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Write challenging single-turn prompts in nuclear materials and safeguards, labelled as benign, dual-use, or adversarial
Evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard
Judge whether responses handled technical misuse potential correctly
Write reference answers and explain the technical reasoning behind them
Create prompts that distinguish legitimate technical questions from dangerous ones
Provide written rationales for every judgment that non-specialists can understand
Read and write about misuse scenarios for sustained periods
Pause or step away from misuse-related work at any point without penalty

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experience characterising real nuclear material, including detection, attribution, and analytical work supporting defensible conclusions
Relevant background in nuclear forensics casework or international exercises
Experience with radiochemical and mass-spectrometric analysis, including isotopics, age dating, impurity, and process signatures
Experience with detection and interdiction technology, including portal monitors, handheld identification, and search operations
Experience with material signature libraries, reference materials, and attribution methodology
Pre- or post-detonation forensics research experience at a national laboratory or agency
Ability to distinguish routine professional questions from potentially malicious requests
Strong technical writing skills; every judgment must include a rationale understandable to non-specialists
Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is strongly preferred
Red-teaming experience is ideally preferred
Must not use classified or export-controlled information, NDA-covered information, or information subject to prepublication review obligations
Must disclose any such obligations so work can be scoped accordingly

Benefits

Comp & perks

Earn up to $250 for each successful referral
Reasonable accommodations upon request