Engineering PhD

$80–95/hr

rate as listed

Workload: ~15h/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: STEM and Coding

Create realistic engineering problems from your own research or practice, solve them, and define objective grading criteria. This short remote pilot is open to PhD holders and PhD candidates in specified engineering disciplines.

The work

You will turn real engineering workflows into self-contained technical problems with realistic constraints and supporting data. Day to day, that means writing problems, producing a traceable correct solution, defining objective criteria for grading, reviewing other contributors’ work, and flagging prompts that are ambiguous or cannot be graded reliably.

What the screening covers

Applicants must hold a PhD or be a PhD candidate in electrical, mechanical, chemical, industrial, or aerospace engineering. The AI interview is likely to test whether you can describe work you personally performed, defend technical assumptions under follow-up, distinguish correct reasoning from plausible-looking errors, and create criteria another engineer could apply consistently. A degree from a strong research institution, publications or other technical contributions, and AI or LLM evaluation experience are preferred or advantageous, not stated requirements.

Logistics

The project is fully remote and expected to run for approximately 2–3 weeks. The listing does not specify weekly hours or confirm that work is fully asynchronous, so candidates should clarify scheduling expectations during onboarding. It says selected contributors should be ready to begin immediately and submit a first task within 24–48 hours of onboarding. The original snapshot names an ideal kickoff of November 8 without a year, so confirm the current start date.

Pay band: $80–95/hr

What they look for

PhD
Mechanichal Engineering
Electrical Engineer
Chemical Engineer

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: This verifies the required degree status and discipline while checking whether the candidate can identify a concrete area in which they have genuine depth.
A strong answer: State whether the PhD is completed or in progress, name the discipline and institution, and give a precise research focus with dates or milestones that can be verified. Briefly identify one project for which you personally owned substantial technical work.
Where people lose it: Candidates lose points by naming a broad field such as mechanical systems without specifying the methods, physical system, or research responsibility they actually handled.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

STEM AND CODING on Sidequest

What stem and coding AI work pays

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