Physics Expert (Professor / Principal Investigator)

What you'll do

Most of micro1's physics listings pay people to solve or audit problems. This one pays for judgement at the level above that: deciding between competing answers.

You adjudicate contested physics arguments, solutions or interpretations in your subfield. Given two approaches to the same problem, you say which is better, under what assumptions and in which regime, and you name the meta-level criteria that decide it: the hidden assumptions, the point where an approximation breaks. Just as important, you say when a question is genuinely unresolved in the field and lay out what the open considerations are, instead of forcing a verdict.

Evaluations are written to a standard another senior physicist could review, and you may verify or contrast claims with LaTeX, SymPy, Python and Jupyter.

The ad's phrase for the core skill is "calibrated confidence". It is the skill a good referee report shows and a weak one lacks, and it is exactly what current models are poor at.

Who fits

• A PhD in physics with demonstrated expertise and scholarly impact in your subfield
• Current or former associate professor, full professor, chair professor, or PI or group leader with independent research leadership
• Active research in at least one of: high energy physics, mathematical physics, biophysics, statistical physics, condensed matter, AMO or quantum optics, gravitation, cosmology, astrophysics, quantum information, or optical properties of materials
• Three to five recent representative publications in your target subfield, with arXiv or DOI references
• Experience supervising PhD students or postdocs, or equivalent industry research leadership
• Working proficiency in LaTeX, SymPy, Python and Jupyter; the ad asks you to state any gaps rather than rule yourself out

Have your publication list with identifiers ready before you apply. It is the most concrete thing the ad asks for.

What it pays

$80–160/hour. That is the same band micro1 uses for its subfield solver listings (for example Physics Expert (High Energy / Mathematical Physics)), even though this role asks for professorial seniority. No compensation structure, weekly hours or duration is stated, and nothing explains placement within the band.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Genuinely senior work: adjudication and meta-level criteria rather than problem sets
• Eleven subfields accepted, so it is not tied to one niche
• Saying "this is unresolved" counts as a valid answer
• Tool gaps can be declared rather than disqualifying

Less good:

• Pay is no higher than micro1's postdoc-level physics listings despite the professorial bar
• Six openings only
• No hours, duration or pay structure published
• Posted two months ago; check it is still accepting applicants
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, no notice period, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal and read on 24 September 2026. The $80–160/hour band, six openings, subfield list and publication requirement are its own published text. Location is given only as remote with no country restriction, so eligibility is left open. Payment terms and schedule are not published on the listing. See micro1.