OpenTrainPhD

Engineering PhD Technical Problem Evaluation Expert

You will create and assess realistic engineering problems used to train and evaluate AI systems. The work draws on direct research or professional experience in electrical, mechanical, chemical, industrial, or aerospace engineering.

Field: Engineering
Where: United States, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh +46 more
Commitment: part time
Asks for: PhD
Posted: 7 days ago

Pay data for your profession: Engineering AI trainer jobs · PhD AI trainer jobs

How this pay compares

The title points to rating and reviewing ai output: judging a model's answers or code against guidelines, such as which of two is better or whether one is correct and safe. What each kind of AI training work pays

At $88/hr (the midpoint of $80 to $95), this role pays more than 57% of the 207 open engineering roles with a listed pay range, above the median of $80.

Open engineering roles that ask for a PhD have a median of $94/hr (34 roles).

Among platforms with 10 or more priced engineering roles, Mercor has the highest median ($88/hr across 35 roles) and micro1 the lowest ($60/hr across 28).

OpenTrain AI roles that closed since late October stayed listed a median of 31 days (122 roles). OpenTrain AI posted this one 7 days ago.

Computed from 2,746 open roles we track across Mercor, micro1, Handshake AI, Alignerr, Appen and OpenTrain AI, refreshed daily. Midpoints of listed ranges; “up to” ceilings are left out of medians.

What you would earn at this rate

Where in the listed range$88/hrHours a week15 hrs

Per week, before tax

$1,313

Per month, if the work is steady

$5,688

Show in

Tax: Contract pay arrives with no tax withheld. A US contractor at this rate and these hours would set aside about $1,438 a month for self-employment tax plus federal income tax at the 12% bracket (25%, before state tax). Outside the US, your own country's rules apply.

Assumes paid hours only; unpaid assessments, onboarding and gaps between projects lower the real figure. Full take-home calculator · Track what you actually earn

Open engineering roles on each platform

The same kind of work, priced on every platform we track, with the best-paid open role on each.

Platform	Open	Median	Best-paid open role
Mercor	36	$88/hr	Infrastructure / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)$200/hr
OpenTrain AIthis role	132	$85/hr	Chief Engineer / Senior Mechanical Engineer$200-300/hr
Alignerr	14	$61/hr	Robotics Technician$40-120/hr
micro1	29	$60/hr	Member of Technical Staff, Research Engineering$400k-800k/yr
Handshake AI	52	up to $85/hr	Engineering LeadUp to $195/hr

“Up to” rows list only ceilings, so their median is a maximum, not comparable with the range midpoints above them.

All 263 open engineering roles →

The full listing

As posted on OpenTrain AI. See the original

The work

You will also review work from other contributors and identify problems that are unclear or cannot be graded consistently. This role is intended for Engineering PhD candidates, so review the duties and qualifications before applying.

Design technical problems based on real engineering workflows, constraints, and supporting data.
Produce correct analyses and explain the reasoning behind each solution.
Set objective standards so another engineer can judge an answer consistently.
Review other contributors' problems for technical accuracy and sound methods.
Flag problems that are ambiguous or cannot be graded reliably.

What it pays and takes

This is a fully remote, short-term pilot expected to last approximately 2 to 3 weeks. The role is open to candidates in the countries specified for this project.

Pay: $80 to $95 per hour.
Work arrangement: Remote, part-time contract work.
Language: Professional fluency in English.
Education: A PhD or current PhD candidacy in electrical, mechanical, chemical, industrial, or aerospace engineering.
Experience: Hands-on research or professional practice involving engineering problems you have worked on directly.
Communication: Ability to explain technical reasoning clearly and make decisions another engineer can verify.
Helpful but not required: A degree from a strong research institution, publications, technical contributions, or experience with AI or LLM evaluation.

How it works

You apply here in about two minutes and finish on the hiring platform. The next step is a short AI interview (technical roles include a coding challenge). Passing it is how you qualify for paid tasks, so take it soon after you are invited.

The hiring platform's application for this job asks for your resume, your LinkedIn profile, your phone number, your location and answers to 6 screening questions.

About AI training work

AI training is the human work behind systems that learn from examples, including writing and evaluating technical questions and answers. OpenTrain helps people find these projects, and experienced engineers are paid for applying their subject knowledge to make AI outputs more accurate and useful.

From applying to your first payment on OpenTrain AI

1
Create a profile
Create a free OpenTrain profile with your domains, languages and hourly rate.
2
Apply
Apply to the listing. Some listings hire through OpenTrain; others send you to the hiring platform.
3
Funded milestones
The client funds each milestone before work starts.
4
First payment
OpenTrain pays out to your connected payout method when the client approves the milestone. It doesn't publish a fixed payout schedule.

Sources: OpenTrain: AI training careers, OpenTrain docs: invoicing and payouts

Full OpenTrain AI profile: watch-outs and the public record →

Pay history

OpenTrain AI has listed this role at $80-95/hr since Nov 4, 2026 with no change.

Across OpenTrain AI's engineering roles, the median listed pay was $69/hr on Nov 1, 2026 (50 roles) and is $85/hr as of Nov 11, 2026 (130 roles).

What workers report about OpenTrain AI

Anonymous reports from people who applied or worked there: whether they got work, what they were paid and how fast.

Other engineering roles

All 263 engineering roles →