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Applied Formal Methods Researcher (Lean 4)
Alignerr • Remote
Education
Not stated
Type
Hourly
Pay Rate
$170–$200/hr
Listed
Today
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From the Alignerr listing
What You'll Do
- Translate informal mathematical proofs into clean, structured Lean 4 formalizations with an emphasis on clarity, correctness, and reproducibility
- Analyze generic and domain-specific proofs to identify gaps, hidden assumptions, and formalizable sub-structures
- Construct formalizations that stress-test the limits of existing proof assistants — especially where automated tools struggle or fail
- Collaborate with AI researchers to design, refine, and evaluate strategies for improving formal verification pipelines
- Develop highly readable, reproducible proof scripts aligned with mathematical best practices and Lean idioms
- Provide expert guidance on proof decomposition, lemma selection, and structuring techniques for formal models
- Investigate automated prover breakdowns and articulate root causes — complexity gaps, missing lemmas, insufficient libraries, and more
- Create Lean proofs that surface deeper patterns or generalizations implicit in the original mathematics
About the Role
What if your mathematical expertise could directly shape how the world's most advanced AI systems reason, verify, and understand formal logic? We're looking for Applied Formal Methods Researchers to translate rigorous mathematical arguments into machine-verifiable Lean 4 proofs — working at the absolute frontier of what proof assistants can express and automate. This is a fully remote, flexible contract role built for mathematicians who live at the intersection of abstract reasoning and precise formalization. If you find deep satisfaction in taking a dense, elegant argument and expressing it in a form a machine can verify — this role was designed for you.
- Organization: Alignerr
- Type: Hourly Contract
- Location: Remote
- Commitment: 10–40 hours/week
Who You Are
- Holds a Master's degree or higher in Mathematics, Logic, Theoretical Computer Science, or a closely related field
- Possesses a strong foundation in rigorous proof writing across areas such as algebra, analysis, topology, logic, or discrete mathematics
- Has hands-on experience with Lean (Lean 3 or Lean 4), Coq, Isabelle/HOL, Agda, or comparable proof systems — Lean 4 strongly preferred
- Deeply enthusiastic about formal verification, proof assistants, and the future of mechanized mathematics
- Able to translate informal arguments into precise, structured formal proofs with minimal ambiguity
- Mathematically mature and energized by working at the boundary of what formal tools can currently handle
Nice to Have
- Familiarity with type theory, the Curry-Howard correspondence, and proof automation tools
- Experience contributing to large-scale formalization projects such as Mathlib
- Exposure to theorem provers where automated reasoning frequently fails or requires manual scaffolding
- Prior experience with data annotation, data quality evaluation, or AI training workflows
- Strong communication skills for explaining formalization decisions, edge cases, and proof strategies to interdisciplinary teams
Why Join Us
- Work directly on cutting-edge AI projects alongside world-leading research labs
- Fully remote and flexible — structure your hours around your life, not the other way around
- Freelance autonomy with the depth and intellectual rigor of frontier research work
- Gain exposure to advanced LLMs and the formal reasoning pipelines being built to train them
- Potential for ongoing contract extension as projects evolve and scale
Why this role
What if your mathematical expertise could directly shape how the world's most advanced AI systems reason, verify, and understand formal logic? We're looking for Applied Formal Methods Researchers to translate rigorous mathematical arguments into machine-verifiable Lean 4 proofs — working at the absolute frontier of what proof assistants can express
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Common questions
Does Alignerr have a trainer community?
Yes, and it's a genuine strength. Once you're assigned to a project, you join Slack channels where you can get rubric clarifications from admins and talk to other trainers. That kind of support is rare in AI training and matters most when guidelines are ambiguous or shift mid-project.
How hard is the Alignerr assessment?
Hard, and unforgiving. Alignerr uses TestGorilla for timed, role-specific tests: a blank coding environment for engineers, strict grammar and fact-checking for writers. Treat it as one shot. Failing or abandoning it typically locks you out of that role permanently, with no retake.
Is AI training work the same as traditional consulting?
No. Instead of client deliverables, you're given complex scenarios to evaluate: grading the AI's logic, correcting its hallucinations, and supplying expert-level reasoning it doesn't have on its own. The job is closer to teaching than consulting.
Why do these AI training roles pay so much?
Because general knowledge isn't what's being tested. The model already knows the basics; what it needs is expertise on edge cases, the rare, difficult, highly technical judgment calls only a senior professional in the field would make correctly.
What does Mathematics work look like for an Applied Formal Methods Researcher (Lean 4)?
Tasks here are scoped to Mathematics, not generic labeling. As an Applied Formal Methods Researcher (Lean 4), expect to draw on real domain judgment (evaluating outputs, correcting errors, or providing expert reasoning specific to Mathematics) rather than following a one-size-fits-all rubric. If you don't have hands-on Mathematics background, this is likely not the right listing to start with.
What specific skills does this listing call for?
Data Annotation and Entry Level are named directly in the listing. If you don't have hands-on experience with these, expect the screening process to test for them directly rather than accepting adjacent experience as a substitute.
How much does this specific role pay?
This listing is posted at $170–$200/hr, an hourly rate. The range reflects experience level and negotiated terms, not a placeholder, so where you land in it depends on your background and the assessment. Pay can change between when we last checked the listing and when you apply, so confirm the current number on the platform's own application page before committing time.
What happens when I click Apply on this listing?
You'll be taken to Alignerr's external site to complete your application there. This listing links through a referral, but the process is identical to applying directly; the link just routes you correctly. Create an account on their site and follow their onboarding steps.
What is the barrier to entry for Alignerr?
A difficult, timed technical assessment in your specific domain, like Python, physics, or language. Passing it is required before you're eligible for any paid projects.