Physics - Research Collaborator

Join a leading AI lab’s cutting-edge research team to be at the core of the AI revolution, where your expertise fuels the development of the most advanced LLMs.

**1\. Role Overview**

We are seeking advanced Physics Researchers & PhD Students to contribute to a project supporting a frontier-model evaluation effort focused on physics reasoning and problem-solving. You'll design and validate challenging benchmark tasks to help surface and diagnose reasoning gaps in a target model. The work centers on building robust, real-world physics tasks with verifiable solutions and then analyzing model behavior.

**2\. Key Responsibilities**

• Design challenging, real-world physics problems spanning areas such as classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and other physics subfields.

• Prepare all necessary components, including detailed problem statements, golden solutions, and evaluation criteria.

• Evaluate the model's performance on the tasks.

• Identify tasks where the target model fails, specifically classifying failures in physics reasoning and mathematical derivation.

• Analyze model trajectories to observe and extract core capability loss patterns.

**3\. Core Qualifications**

• Currently enrolled in or recently completed a PhD program in Physics or a closely related field (e.g., Astrophysics, Applied Physics, Condensed Matter) at a top-tier university.

• Deep expertise in one or more subfields of physics, with strong mathematical and analytical skills.

• Ability to write clear, rigorous, and well-structured physics problems and solutions.

• Verbal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently.

• Ability to engage reliably for 8+ hours/week.

**4\. More about the Opportunity**

• About Cincinnatus LLC: Cincinnatus is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for full-time and long-term contingent roles. Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

• Applicants must be located in the United States with eligible work authorization.