Write materials selection and failure analysis scenarios that frontier labs use to test how well models reason from structure to property to service performance. You author the reference answer and the reasoning chain behind it, then grade model output for technical accuracy and whether the recommendation would actually survive in service.

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

What the work involves

You write self-contained materials problems — a component, a service environment, a set of constraints — and then the reference answer that a competent materials engineer would defend. The reference is not a single alloy designation or polymer grade; it is the reasoning: why this class, why this processing route, what property trade-off you accepted, what the failure mode would be if you chose otherwise. A second stream of work is grading: you read model responses against your rubric and mark where they go wrong, distinguishing an answer that is merely non-optimal from one that would crack, creep, corrode, or delaminate within the design life.

The most valued output is the fourth bullet in the brief: flagging recommendations that read plausible but fail in service. Models are fluent about materials. They will confidently suggest 6061-T6 where hydrogen embrittlement matters, recommend a filled thermoplastic without accounting for weld line strength, or propose a coating whose CTE mismatch guarantees spallation at the operating temperature. Catching that class of error — and writing it up so a non-specialist annotator can see why it is wrong — is the skill being paid for.

What the screen looks for

AfterQuery's screening is AI-led and follow-up heavy. Expect it to take a materials class you claim depth in and push two or three layers past the textbook answer: not "what is precipitation hardening" but what you observed when an aging schedule went wrong on real parts. Concrete history helps — specific failures you root-caused, characterization you personally ran and interpreted, qualifications you signed off on. Generic surveys of materials families read as thin under probing. Written clarity is assessed directly, since your reference answers are the deliverable.

Logistics

Fully remote, fully asynchronous — no scheduled calls or fixed hours
Minimum commitment of about 10 hours per week, set by you
$100–130/hr as observed on this listing, paid weekly via Stripe; rate placement typically tracks depth and characterization experience
Ongoing project work rather than a fixed-length engagement

Materials Science and Engineering Expert

What the work involves

What the screen looks for

Logistics

Interview prep — 10 questions