Led by Brookhaven Lab, the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage  (C2QA) is one of five National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers  awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct basic research in QIS. Comprising more than 20 national labs, research centers, universities, and industry, the C2QA team aims to overcome the performance limitations of current-generation quantum computers. Through software-hardware co-design, they will work toward achieving quantum advantage—the point at which a quantum computer outperforms a classical one on a useful task—for computations in high-energy and nuclear physics, chemistry, materials science, condensed matter physics, and other fields. Their quantum co-design efforts target three research thrusts: software and algorithms, devices, and materials.

C2QA is seeking a postdoctoral research associate with a focus on quantum information science to join their team. The candidate will work closely with the Center’s cross-cutting co-design and scientific teams and will provide coordination across quantum materials, devices, and software research thrusts to result in cross-thrust achievements which advance the frontier of quantum computation for applications in areas including high-energy physics.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Spearhead the evaluation of achievable quantum advantage for solving high-energy physics problems such as that based on the Schwinger model, using novel superconducting qubit designs and device and system architectures.
• Coordinate high-level cross-thrust meetings for curation of the C2QA mission to improve quantum materials, devices, and software to increase potential quantum computing advantage for DOE-focused scientific applications.
• Communicate entrepreneurially across C2QA institutions to generate cross-thrust scientific publications addressing full-stack models for quantum computation performance on DOE-focused quantum benchmarks.
• Collaborate with co-design experts in C2QA institutions to formalize and document the principles of and policies for achieving effective quantum co-design.
• Have a willingness to travel to collaborate effectively with co-design researchers in the C2QA Center.

Required  Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• PhD. in theoretical physics (specializing in high energy quantum field theory) or other directly QIS-relevant field.
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial leadership experience.
• Experience in software development and evaluation.
• Collaborate and communicate successfully with a diverse, multi-institutional team of researchers.
• Develop new, actionable ideas and approaches in a fast-evolving QIST field.
• Document research results and publish papers in scientific journals.

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Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (experience with at least one of the following):

• Construction and analysis of lattice quantum field theories
• Atomic and/or condensed matter physics
• Advocacy of scientific goals across disciplines
• Communicating to non-specialists, including non-scientists
• Scientific policy articulation & development
• Teaching college-level quantum computation
• Some experience as a scientific community builder

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OTHER INFORMATION: 

• The holder of this position may be stationed at Brookhaven Lab or one of its university partners’ sites but is expected to interact and collaborate regularly (virtually and in person) with C2QA team members at Brookhaven National Laboratory and other institutions.
• BNL policy requires that after obtaining their PhD, eligible candidates for research associate appointments may not exceed a combined total of 5 years of relevant work experience as a post-doc and/or in an R&D position, excluding time associated with family planning, military service, illness or other life-changing events.

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Brookhaven Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $64,000-85,000-106,000. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.

Brookhaven employees are subject to restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation at the time of hire for review by Brookhaven. The full text of the Order may be found at: https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0486.1-BOrder-a/@@images/file