Research Associate in Quantum Computation

Overview

In this role you will lead theoretical research aimed at a full-stack approach to suppressing errors in quantum hardware, spanning hardware-level noise, error mitigation, and fault-tolerant computation. You will work within Dr. Zhenyu Cai’s group to tackle quantum architectures, error correction, and scalable systems, with opportunities to engage experimental partners and industry collaborators. The position blends analytical insight with numerical simulations, supported by access to HPC and cloud-based quantum resources. This is a high-impact, fellowship-funded opportunity at Imperial College to advance practical quantum computing.

Pay / Benefits

• sector-leading salary and remuneration package
• 39 days off per year
• 10 training and development days
• career development support
• full-time fixed-term 36 months

Responsibilities

• Advance theoretical research in quantum architectures, compilation and scalable quantum systems
• Develop and study quantum error correction and error mitigation strategies
• Explore hardware implementation of error correction/mitigation protocols
• Collaborate with experimental partners and industry collaborators
• Conduct analytical work and numerical simulations, leveraging HPC/GPU resources
• Participate in joint activities and research visits with collaborators
• Prepare and publish results in refereed journals and conferences
• Contribute to software projects and documentation using version control systems

Key requirements

• PhD inComputer Science, Mathematics, Physics or closely related field (or equivalent experience)
• Publication record in quantum computation
• Experience with industry partners and research collaborations
• Experience with error correction simulation using Stim or large quantum circuit simulation
• Scientific programming involving HPC or GPU systems
• Experience with collaborative software projects and GitHub (desirable)

• Collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams
• Strong communication and writing for academic publication
• Initiative and problem-solving mindset
• Quantum error correction
• Quantum error mitigation
• Quantum architectures and compilation

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