Materials Scientist / Engineer

What you'll do

This is the practitioner's side of micro1's materials work. You solve and evaluate advanced problems across materials selection, failure analysis, testing and process development, and you assess AI-generated technical answers for correctness and engineering quality. The ad mentions the tools of a failure lab by name: microstructural analysis, fractography, tensile, fatigue and hardness testing, and thermodynamic or kinetic modelling.

Unlike micro1's simulation-focused Materials Science Expert listing, there is no coding requirement here. The judgment being paid for is the one a failure analyst uses when a part cracks in service: reading the fracture surface and the test data, and deciding whether the proposed root cause actually holds.

Who fits

• A bachelor's or higher in materials science and engineering, metallurgy, or mechanical or chemical engineering with a materials focus
• Three or more years in materials selection, failure analysis, testing or process development
• Expert knowledge across metals, polymers, ceramics and composites, and their degradation mechanisms
• Root-cause analysis using fractography, metallography and test data
• Familiarity with ASTM, ASM and ISO materials standards
• SEM, XRD, TEM or DSC/TGA experience is a plus

The ad strongly prefers evidence that you can write rigorous problems: olympiad or qualifying-exam committee work, textbook problem sets, standards committee service, competition leadership, major best-paper awards or early-career fellowships. Those are signals of the task-authoring skill the project needs.

What it pays

The band is $80–130/hour, but compensation is output-based: paid per task that meets the specification, with a weekly minimum number of submissions (the number is not stated). micro1 says roles are typically filled within 48 hours and first tasks start within 24 to 48 hours of onboarding.

Worth knowing

Good:

• A bachelor's degree is enough on paper
• Values industry failure-analysis experience, not only research
• No coding required

Less good:

• Only one opening, so competition is likely stiff
• The strongly preferred credentials list is demanding
• Per-task pay: rejected work is unpaid and no per-task fee is published
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal about two months before we read it on 24 September 2026. The card title is Materials Scientist / Engineer, while the ad text calls the role Materials Science Expert; we use the card title to separate it from micro1's simulation listing of that name. No country restriction is stated. Payment schedule and visa terms are not published on the ad. See micro1.