Earth, Ocean & Climate Science Researcher (Task Author)

What you'll do

You write evaluation tasks for AI models out of earth, ocean or climate computation you have already implemented and validated. The ad's examples: a geophysical inversion, an ocean or atmosphere model, a data-assimilation step, or a remote-sensing analysis. Each task has a main problem, connected subproblems, a Python reference solution and tests, with difficulty coming from the science rather than withheld information.

You specify the metrics a strong solution should meet (without publishing exact thresholds), revise after structured review feedback, and can optionally review other experts' tasks.

Listed areas: geophysics and seismology; geodynamics; hydrology; physical oceanography and coastal dynamics; atmospheric physics and climate dynamics; numerical weather prediction and data assimilation; and geochemistry and remote sensing.

Who fits

• A research-track Bachelor's student (REU, thesis, RA or lab role), Master's or PhD student, postdoc or recent graduate in geophysics, oceanography, atmospheric science, geology, hydrology or a closely related field
• Hands-on experience writing your own code, preferably Python, to model or analyse earth, ocean or atmospheric systems; Python or machine learning familiarity alone is not enough, per the ad
• Able to turn your research into a well-specified task with a reference solution and tests, and to work independently
• Preferred: data assimilation, ocean or atmosphere modelling, or seismic inversion; public code, a thesis or papers; prior annotation, labelling or AI/ML evaluation work
• Independent contractor without visa sponsorship; F-1 students (including OPT/CPT) are not eligible

What it pays

The board headlines $100/hr. The ad pays $200 per approved task, about 2 hours each, with no cap on how many you take on. Tasks must pass review, so time spent revising lowers the effective rate.

The ad does not publish payment terms; see the AfterQuery company page for how contractors are paid.

What applying involves

Required fields: institutional affiliation(s), current degree programme, year and field, a link to research code, work authorization, and a calculation from your research that could become a task. Accepted experts undergo standard background and identity verification.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Flexible and uncapped, with no fixed weekly schedule
• A rare route to paid work for geoscience, hydrology and climate modellers
• Open to research-track undergraduates and recent graduates

Less good:

• Per-task pay hinges on approval
• You need your own modelling or analysis code
• F-1 students (including OPT/CPT) are excluded and there is no visa sponsorship
• The application requires code and a candidate calculation

About this listing

Read from the AfterQuery Experts board on 18 October 2026; posted on the board 16 October 2026. Pay and eligibility are AfterQuery's own text. See AfterQuery.