Nuclear Medicine Physicist / Cyclotron RSO

The explosive evolution of artificial intelligence has moved far beyond simple text generation and basic data retrieval. Today, leading AI labs are tackling some of the most intricate safety, alignment, and dual-use boundaries in modern science. To navigate these complex technical domains, developers cannot rely on generalist reviewers alone; they require elite domain practitioners who hold real-world custody responsibilities in specialized fields like radiological health, medical physics, and isotope production.

Mercor is actively assembling an exclusive panel of radiological safety and medical physics experts for the Nuclear Medicine Physicist / Cyclotron RSO contract role. Offering an exceptional compensation rate of $65 to $75 per task, this fully remote position empowers professionals to apply their rigorous regulatory, compliance, and clinical physics expertise toward ensuring advanced AI systems remain safe, accurate, and robust.

Whether you are looking to monetize your extensive healthcare or industrial physics background on a flexible, project-based schedule, transition into high-paying AI consulting, or contribute directly to critical machine learning safety frameworks, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about the role, its requirements, and how to successfully complete your application.

The Core Mission: Why AI Safety Needs Radiologic Practitioners

As large language models ingest massive repositories of academic and technical literature, they encounter specialized fields where information is inherently dual-use. In medical physics and radiochemistry, the exact same isotope that underpins life-saving cancer therapy can also intersect with industrial radiography protocols. Similarly, the shielding calculations required to protect a hospital technician or patient also describe source containment boundaries.

When an artificial intelligence model evaluates technical queries, it must walk a razor-thin line. A model that unnecessarily refuses a routine hospital dosage inquiry, patient release criteria calculation, or storage protocol is failing just as severely as one that answers a question it shouldn't. Distinguishing between a legitimate professional inquiry and an adversarial probe requires the seasoned intuition of a certified practitioner.

Your Primary Responsibilities on the Panel:

• Drafting Challenging Single-Turn Prompts: Create nuanced, domain-specific prompts categorized systematically across three distinct levels: benign, dual-use, and adversarial.
• Policy Evaluation & Auditing: Review model outputs against rigorous safety policy guidelines, rendering precise professional judgments on whether each response was managed correctly.
• Authoring Reference Answers: Develop expert reference answers that outline what an accurate, compliant response looks like, supported by detailed technical rationale.

Ideal Backgrounds and Qualifications

To maintain absolute data integrity, Mercor seeks certified professionals who handle medical isotopes and radioactive materials under strict regulatory oversight. Ideal candidates typically possess background experience in areas such as:

• Nuclear Medicine or Radiopharmacy Physics: Expertise in therapy dosimetry, handling isotopes like I-131, Lu-177, and Y-90, and establishing patient release criteria.
• Cyclotron or Radiochemistry Facility RSO: Practical experience in target handling, PET isotope production, and complex hot-cell operations.
• Medical Physics with Brachytherapy Source Custody: Management of HDR and LDR sources, inventory tracking, and radioactive source exchanges.
• Radiopharmaceutical Production & QC: Quality control under Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) or equivalent regulatory frameworks.
• Authorized Medical Physicist / Authorized User Support: Direct operational support on medical radioactive materials licenses.

Beyond Technical Depth: The Demand for Technical Communication

This project is heavily writing-intensive. Technical mastery alone is not enough; every evaluation, classification, and benchmark you submit must include a clear, cohesive written rationale that project stakeholders and non-specialist managers can easily follow. Professionals with prior technical writing portfolios, published research, peer-reviewed articles, or expert witness backgrounds will find themselves exceptionally well-suited for this engagement.

Compensation, Flexibility, and Independent Growth

Mercor’s modern engagement model offers unmatched autonomy for independent experts seeking to leverage their niche credentials without sacrificing schedule flexibility:

• Task-Based Earnings: Earn $65 to $75 for each successfully validated task, giving you total control over your earning potential based on your output.
• Full Remote Flexibility: Work entirely from your home office, clinic, or laboratory on your own schedule, seamlessly integrating tasks around your primary career or clinical duties.
• Sustainable Pacing: Because evaluating misuse scenarios requires focused cognitive effort, experts are thoroughly briefed in advance and can pause or step away at any time without penalty.
• Generous Referral Program: Expand your earnings by participating in Mercor's referral network, where you can secure up to $250 for each successful professional peer you introduce to the platform.

Step-by-Step Guide to Completing Your Application

Because these specialized red-teaming panels require elite expertise, positions are highly competitive. Follow these steps to ensure your application moves quickly through the pipeline:

1. Highlight Your Certifications Explicitly: Ensure your resume or profile clearly highlights your medical physics certifications, RSO licensing history, radiopharmaceutical experience, or clinical credentials.
2. Attach Writing Samples: Since the role requires articulate written rationales, include links or attachments to technical reports, whitepapers, or publications if possible.
3. Complete Screening Promptly: Mercor has optimized its hiring workflow into streamlined, high-impact interviews. Complete your onboarding requirements quickly to secure your placement on active panels.

Do not miss the chance to influence the safety standards of next-generation artificial intelligence while earning top-tier compensation for your specialized expertise.