[Hiring] Applied Mathematician @24-MAG

Role Description

We are sharing a specialised part-time consulting opportunity for mathematicians and quantitative researchers with advanced expertise in applied mathematics, mathematical modelling, optimisation, statistics, or related computational disciplines. This role supports an AI research initiative focused on developing rigorous mathematics benchmarks. Selected experts will author or verify challenging multiple-choice assessment content, evaluate mathematical accuracy and solution quality, develop well-supported reference solutions, and help establish high-quality evaluation standards for advanced AI systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Mathematics Question Authoring
  • Create original multiple-choice questions that test deep mathematical understanding rather than surface-level recall.
  • Develop challenging problems within relevant areas of applied mathematics expertise.
  • Ensure questions are self-contained, precise, unambiguous, and independently solvable.
  • Design questions appropriate for undergraduate, advanced undergraduate, and postgraduate difficulty levels.
  • Produce one correct answer alongside nine plausible and carefully constructed distractors.
• Question Verification & Mathematical Review
  • Review pre-written mathematics questions for correctness, clarity, rigour, and completeness.
  • Identify mathematical errors, hidden assumptions, ambiguity, or solvability issues.
  • Edit questions and answer choices where required.
  • Verify calculations, derivations, proofs, and designated correct answers.
  • Document substantive changes and explain the mathematical reasoning behind them.
• Signal Processing & Applied Analysis
  • Develop assessment content involving signal processing and mathematical analysis.
  • Create problems involving transforms, filtering, sampling, estimation, and signal representation.
  • Apply quantitative reasoning to realistic signal-processing scenarios.
  • Evaluate modelling assumptions and numerical methods.
  • Design questions requiring multi-step analytical reasoning.
• Financial & Economic Mathematics
  • Develop problems involving financial mathematics and actuarial science.
  • Create assessment content covering risk, probability, pricing, stochastic processes, and financial modelling.
  • Apply mathematical methods to economic models and decision problems.
  • Develop questions involving mathematical economics and optimisation.
  • Evaluate assumptions, constraints, and quantitative conclusions.
• Optimisation & Mathematical Programming
  • Create rigorous problems involving mathematical programming and combinatorial optimisation.
  • Apply linear, nonlinear, integer, and discrete optimisation methods where relevant.
  • Develop scenarios involving resource allocation, scheduling, networks, and constrained decision-making.
  • Evaluate solution feasibility, optimality, and modelling assumptions.
  • Distinguish mathematically rigorous approaches from plausible but incorrect alternatives.
• Biological & Ecological Modelling
  • Develop mathematical models of ecological and biological systems.
  • Create problems involving dynamic systems, population models, biological processes, and quantitative interactions.
  • Evaluate model assumptions, parameter behaviour, and system dynamics.
  • Interpret mathematical results within biological or ecological contexts.
  • Design interdisciplinary questions requiring both quantitative and applied reasoning.
• Geomathematics & Climate Modelling
  • Develop assessment content involving mathematical models of Earth and environmental systems.
  • Create problems involving spatial modelling, geophysical processes, and climate dynamics.
  • Apply numerical and analytical methods to environmental modelling scenarios.
  • Evaluate uncertainty, parameterisation, and model behaviour.
  • Interpret quantitative outputs within physical and environmental contexts.
• Academic Research & Benchmark Quality
  • Provide 1–5 academic references per question where required.
  • Use reputable sources such as peer-reviewed journals, academic publications, and university repositories.
  • Develop clear, structured solution explanations supporting the correct answer.
  • Rate question difficulty according to defined Medium, Hard, and Expert standards.
  • Help maintain consistent mathematical and academic quality across benchmark content.
  • Contribute to gold-standard evaluation materials used to assess advanced AI capabilities.

Qualifications

• PhD or current doctoral candidacy in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Master's degree may be considered for candidates with exceptional expertise in a relevant mathematical subdomain.
• Strong command of graduate-level mathematics and formal mathematical reasoning.
• Expertise in one or more areas including Signal Processing, Financial Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Mathematical Economics, Mathematical Modelling, Mathematical Programming, Combinatorial Optimisation, Geomathematics, or Climate Modelling.
• Strong ability to construct and verify rigorous mathematical arguments and quantitative solutions.
• Excellent written English and ability to communicate complex mathematical concepts clearly and precisely.
• Academic research publications are highly valued.
• Experience with mathematical competition writing, examination development, or advanced problem design is advantageous.
• University-level teaching or academic assessment experience is highly valued.
• Strong attention to mathematical precision, logical consistency, and problem solvability.

Engagement Details

• Part-time independent contractor engagement.
• Fully remote and asynchronous.
• Expected availability of at least 10 hours per week.
• Flexible scheduling based on project requirements.
• Compensation: $50–$70/hour.
• Contributors may be assigned either question-authoring or question-verification workstreams.
• Projects may be extended, shortened, or concluded based on project needs and performance.
• Work must be completed without using confidential or proprietary information belonging to any employer, client, institution, or other third party.
• H1-B and STEM OPT support is unavailable for this engagement.