AI Training Jobs for PhDs and Postdocs: Pay by Field

Remote part-time options for PhDs: where AI training fits

The traditional side incomes for doctoral researchers are teaching, tutoring, freelance editing and consulting. They still exist, but they mostly pay for teaching or writing skill. AI training pays for research-level judgment: labs need people who can write a problem a strong model gets wrong, prove the right answer and explain where the model's reasoning breaks.

The work is described plainly on the listings. micro1's physics role asks contributors to "Produce and validate high-quality solutions to advanced theoretical and mathematical physics problems", and may assign you as a solver, auditor or adjudicator (micro1 listing). Outlier says it has onboarded "700K+ PhD, MS students" (Outlier).

AI training jobs for PhDs by field

Every program listed had a live listing for the field on 14 November 2026. Rates are per hour as published; "up to" figures are ceilings.

Sources, read 14 November 2026: Alignerr physics, chemistry, mathematician, Lean 4 and PhD researcher listings; DataAnnotation mathematician, physicist, chemist and computational biologist roles; Handshake AI physics, math, statistician, chemistry, biology, bioinformatics and STEM PhD (EU) listings; Invisible mathematics listing; Mercor physics, mathematics, mathematics domain, formal mathematics, chemistry, biology and genomics listings; micro1 physics, mathematics, maths and statistics, chemistry and computational biology listings; xAI math and physics listings.

Snorkel's math community also looks for "Master's or PhD-level expertise" and is open only to eligible US-based contractors outside California (Snorkel).

Math AI trainer and physics AI tutor roles

Math AI trainer and physics AI tutor roles usually mean the same work: teaching a model, not students. xAI's AI Tutor roles in math and physics pay US-based candidates $45 to $75 an hour, are open remotely in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and India, and prefer full-time availability (xAI math listing).

The top of the range is formal proof. Alignerr's mathematician roles pay $170-200 an hour to "Formalize advanced mathematical arguments and theorems within Lean 4" and ask for a master's or PhD in mathematics (Alignerr); Mercor's formal mathematics role pays $80-130 an hour in the US for Lean, Coq or Isabelle work (Mercor). If you want tutoring of real students instead, see AI tutor jobs.

How many hours, and does it fit a PhD?

Most listings are built around a research schedule. Handshake AI's physics, math, chemistry and biology listings say most contributors work approximately 5-20 hours per week on an active project, with no minimum (Handshake AI); its EU and UK STEM PhD role mentions about 10 to 20 hours (Handshake AI). Alignerr lists 10-40 hours/week (Alignerr). Mercor's genomics and formal mathematics roles ask for at least 20 hours a week on weekdays (Mercor), which is a lot next to a thesis.

Work comes in projects, so expect busy weeks and empty ones. Do not plan rent around it.

Visas, university rules and funding: check before you sign

International students in the US: USCIS says "F-1 students may not work off-campus during the first academic year", and that after it they may work off-campus through Curricular Practical Training or Optional Practical Training, authorised in advance (USCIS). Handshake AI says F-1 students "who are eligible for CPT or OPT may be eligible for projects", and that "STEM OPT is not supported" (Handshake AI). Alignerr says visa holders can take part only if their visa permits contract work, and it does not sponsor visas (Alignerr FAQs). Your designated school official, not a program, decides what you may do.

Outside the US, student and researcher visas set their own limits on hours and self-employment. Check yours with your university's international office.

Universities and funders often have outside-work and conflict-of-interest policies for doctoral students and postdocs, and some fellowships limit paid work. Ask your supervisor or graduate school before you commit hours, and keep unpublished results, lab data and anything under your group's agreements out of every task.

Next step

For field pages, see AI training jobs for software engineers if you are in CS or ML, and AI evaluation jobs for what grading work looks like. Pay is contractor income: see AI training jobs and taxes.

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Origin Data Partners is independent of the programs on this page. A program may pay Origin when Origin introduces someone who joins it, which never changes what you are paid (how Origin is paid).