Group Leader, Quantum HPC Group

Oak Ridge National Laboratory•Oak Ridge, TN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a Group Leader for the Quantum HPC (QHPC) Group within the Science Engagement section in the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS). NCCS provides state-of-the-art computational and data science infrastructure coupled with dedicated scientific and technical professionals tackling large-scale science and technology problems across a broad range of domains for accelerating scientific discovery and engineering advances. NCCS hosts the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) which is a DOE National User Facility. OLCF operates Frontier, the nation’s first exascale supercomputer. The QHPC group is part of a larger quantum science community at ORNL, focusing on the integration of quantum resources with classical HPC infrastructure. The research involves both the hardware and software integration of quantum devices into the NCCS ecosystem and science applications carried out on hybrid systems. The OLCF has been offering the Quantum Computing User Program (QCUP) to the computational community for over seven years, building capabilities within the laboratory and expertise in the user community. As the fault-tolerant capabilities of the QC ecosystem grow, the ability to offer scientific relevance in combination with HPC comes sharply into focus and the QHPC group will help drive this transformation. The vision of the group is to be a world leader in innovation at the intersection of frontline science applications and state-of-the-art quantum computing technology, thus accelerating the transition to quantum advantage. Partnerships with the rapidly evolving quantum industry will be key to success. ORNL leads the Quantum Science Center (QSC), one of five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers. ORNL staff conduct research on various aspects of Quantum Computing – from compilers and algorithms for scientific applications that will run on Quantum Computers to experimental validation of the science and benchmarking on Quantum Computers on-premise at ORNL and with QSC collaborators and partners. The QHCP group contributes to QSC and situates these developments in the HPC ecosystem. In particular, staff in the QHPC group lead the Open QSE initiative that brings several national and international partners together to create an open Quantum Computing software ecosystem. The QHPC Group Leader will provide Research and Development (R&D) leadership to the group that strategically advances the laboratory and DOE’s research portfolio in the field. The Group Leader leads a group of quantum computing researchers with the primary goal of pursuing global scientific leadership in the quantum computing field, nurtures ORNL’s culture among group members, and continues to build and scale up individual excellence and impact in R&D. The Group Leader reports to and works closely with the Science Engagement Section Head to implement the group’s scientific vision; develops group members to enable their career advancement; establishes capabilities that enable programs to excel at the forefront of science and technology; performs independent and collaborative R&D to advance the fields quantum computing science; sets, implements, and models standards for performance of work consistent with Environment, Safety, Security, Health, and Quality (ESH&Q) requirements and business rules; and ensures a diverse and inclusive work environment where every employee feels safe, heard, and appreciated—a workplace that sets an example for the broader community.

Requirements

Requires a Ph.D. in quantum computing science, or related fields, with a minimum of 6 years relevant experience.
Qualified candidates should have demonstrated experience in leading R&D teams
Demonstrated R&D experience in quantum computing, or a relevant scientific domain and knowledge of high performance and quantum computing and scalable data analytics and/or deep learning

Nice To Haves

Qualified candidates should have demonstrated management experience
History of engagement with Department of Energy and national laboratory complex, particularly leadership class computing
Exceptional communication, planning, collaboration, and customer service skills.

Responsibilities

Develop a vision and implement a cohesive group research strategy to ensure the success of new and ongoing research projects to position the group for future success.
Work closely with the NCCS leadership computing user community as partners in projects to exploit the classical and quantum resources of the NCCS effectively and efficiently. This includes partnering with large user program projects in moving data and programs into and out of the NCCS computational environment, developing, porting, and scaling applications and algorithms for NCCS computers, tuning applications for high performance, and scheduling applications to execute at scale to meet the scientific capability needs of the users.
Assist in capability planning exercises and in defining requirements for, and assisting in the development of system software, libraries and tools that meet the quantum computing communities’ needs.
Participate in quantum-computing community-wide efforts to design new methodologies, workflows, tools, and other contributions that will advance the state of the art in computational science.
Lead appropriate quantum science research proposals with ORNL and external collaborators that allow for the conduct of scientific research that will be reported on in journals, technical manuals, and conferences.
Develop and implement plans to exploit new opportunities and/or expand existing efforts.
Assist staff in setting performance goals consistent with the group’s strategy and members’ long-term career goals. Provide feedback to address performance issues in a timely manner.
Provide relevant input to assist the R&D Section Head with staff development while providing direct and impactful guidance to staff on a regular basis.
Attract a quality, diverse pool of top candidates and hire staff members who are committed to world-class R&D and aspire to be the best in their field.
Lead by example by exercising the principles in ORNL’s “Research Code of Conduct” as a guide for proposing, performing, and communicating research.
Coach and mentor staff regarding Battelle’s “Safe Conduct of Research” principles
Lead ESH&Q by example and ensure all work is carried out safely, securely, and in compliance with ORNL policies, standards, and procedures.
Exemplify a commitment to “One ORNL” by modeling lab expectations for excellence in research, operations, and community engagement, and by working cooperatively to leverage capabilities across the lab.
Serve as immediate supervisor for staff members in group.
Encourage staff to “think and dream big,” take appropriate risks in their work, and develop skills that will enable them to pursue new ideas, scientific passions, and research programs.
Advance the reputation of the group members and standing of the group as a whole through establishing collaborations, Professional Society leadership and involvement, and organization of technical events.
Support group members by consistently reviewing technical products such as proposals, publications, and artifacts to ensure high quality and consistency with ORNL standards.
Build strong teams across ORNL.
Connect staff to your scientific network and professional societies.
Lead regular scientific/technical group and/or section meetings and be visible in the labs and workplace.
Assume front-line responsibility for safety in the group’s laboratory; mentor and empower the Laboratory Space Managers to create a strong safety culture.
Effectively communicate the importance of protecting proprietary or sensitive information and complying with ORNL cybersecurity policies and guidelines.