About the role
Mathematics & STEM Textbook QA Specialist (OCR + LaTeX) Mercor is partnering with a leading frontier AI research lab on an initiative to improve math and STEM reasoning. We’re building high-quality training and evaluation data from public-domain textbooks, and we’re looking for detail-oriented STEM experts to validate and repair extracted problem–solution content.
This role is ideal for people who are strong at proof-based math reading , precise transcription , and LaTeX formatting , and who enjoy meticulous quality work.
Key Responsibilities
- Validate math/STEM question–answer pairs extracted from textbook PDFs, identifying errors introduced by OCR or extraction.
- Compare extracted text to the source PDF and correct transcription issues (symbols, subscripts/superscripts, missing terms, etc.).
- Fix and standardize LaTeX formatting so all expressions render correctly and match the source.
- Extract and label relevant context (problem statements, surrounding definitions, hints, solution steps, short answers) and record correct PDF viewer page numbers.
- Revise raw textbook content into clean QA format when the original is demonstrative (e.g., “Show that…”) or references missing equations/figures.
- Assess solution quality (correctness, completeness, logical consistency) and flag gaps, incorrect steps, or mismatches with the stated answer.
- Maintain consistently high standards for precision, structure, and correctness.
Required Qualifications
- Strong proficiency with LaTeX math formatting (required).
- Background in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or related STEM (BA/BS/Masters/PhD or equivalent rigor).
- Comfort reading and verifying multi-step mathematical reasoning (including proofs and textbook solutions).
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to follow a structured workflow exactly.
- Strong written communication for clear, concise technical notes.
Preferred Qualifications
- Proof-based coursework (e.g., real analysis, abstract algebra, proof-based linear algebra).
- Experience as a TA/grader, tutor, contest solution writer, or math editor.
- Familiarity with common OCR failure modes in STEM text (misread symbols, broken equations, malformed fractions, etc.).
- Ability to handle advanced undergraduate / occasional graduate-level material.
What You’ll Be Evaluating You’ll work on a range of textbook-style content, including:
- Exercises and examples across math and STEM
- Proof-oriented problems
- Occasionally multi-part questions, with dependencies across subparts
- Problems that require careful handling of figures/diagrams and referenced equations
More About The Opportunity
- Potential commitment: 15 hours/week minimum, up to 40 hours/week
- Approximate project length: 2-3 weeks
- Work is structured and quality-focused; speed matters less than correctness
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About the role
Mathematics & STEM Textbook QA Specialist (OCR + LaTeX) Mercor is partnering with a leading frontier AI research lab on an initiative to improve math and STEM reasoning. We’re building high-quality training and evaluation data from public-domain textbooks, and we’re looking for detail-oriented STEM experts to validate and repair extracted problem–solution content.
This role is ideal for people who are strong at proof-based math reading , precise transcription , and LaTeX formatting , and who enjoy meticulous quality work.
Key Responsibilities
- Validate math/STEM question–answer pairs extracted from textbook PDFs, identifying errors introduced by OCR or extraction.
- Compare extracted text to the source PDF and correct transcription issues (symbols, subscripts/superscripts, missing terms, etc.).
- Fix and standardize LaTeX formatting so all expressions render correctly and match the source.
- Extract and label relevant context (problem statements, surrounding definitions, hints, solution steps, short answers) and record correct PDF viewer page numbers.
- Revise raw textbook content into clean QA format when the original is demonstrative (e.g., “Show that…”) or references missing equations/figures.
- Assess solution quality (correctness, completeness, logical consistency) and flag gaps, incorrect steps, or mismatches with the stated answer.
- Maintain consistently high standards for precision, structure, and correctness.
Required Qualifications
- Strong proficiency with LaTeX math formatting (required).
- Background in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or related STEM (BA/BS/Masters/PhD or equivalent rigor).
- Comfort reading and verifying multi-step mathematical reasoning (including proofs and textbook solutions).
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to follow a structured workflow exactly.
- Strong written communication for clear, concise technical notes.
Preferred Qualifications
- Proof-based coursework (e.g., real analysis, abstract algebra, proof-based linear algebra).
- Experience as a TA/grader, tutor, contest solution writer, or math editor.
- Familiarity with common OCR failure modes in STEM text (misread symbols, broken equations, malformed fractions, etc.).
- Ability to handle advanced undergraduate / occasional graduate-level material.
What You’ll Be Evaluating You’ll work on a range of textbook-style content, including:
- Exercises and examples across math and STEM
- Proof-oriented problems
- Occasionally multi-part questions, with dependencies across subparts
- Problems that require careful handling of figures/diagrams and referenced equations
More About The Opportunity
- Potential commitment: 15 hours/week minimum, up to 40 hours/week
- Approximate project length: 2-3 weeks
- Work is structured and quality-focused; speed matters less than correctness