Quantum Compute Hardware Researcher

Western Digital•San Jose, CA

About The Position

At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible. At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that. Our technology helped people put a man on the moon. We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest growth organizations in the world. From energizing the most competitive gaming platforms, to enabling systems to make cities safer and cars smarter and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and public cloud, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future. This job opportunity is in Western Digital Research organization. We are a organization comprising of almost 100 Scientists with PhDs in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Materials science, focused on research and development of various future technologies. In addition to supporting magnetic storage and memory roadmap of Western Digital, we are focused on several key areas that are well aligned with our existing experimental and theoretical skills, and existing laboratory facilities. We are seeking a talented researcher to join our team and drive innovative research projects in quantum computing, specifically to fosus on Device design and low temperature characterization of superconducting qubits. You will play a pivotal role in inventing novel device designs and RF metrology technolgoies to address emerging challenges, specifically focusing on improvement and uniformity of qubit coherence times. The succesful candidates are expected to be self-driven scientists and engineers, willing to seamlessly switch between different design, RF characterization and low temperature metrology needs in a project.

Requirements

Ph.D degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science or related
Experience in device nanofabrication challenges, packaging and low temperature characterization of superconducting qubits based devices.
Experience in room temperature characterization
Experience in understanding and simulation of RF measurement of qubit devices
Other experiences related to other device systems, materials characterization, electronic and optical device characterization are equally important
Proficiency in a wide array of programming languages, like Python, Rust, TCL, or C, and the ability to choose the right one for the task, including knowledge (or willingness to acquire knowledge) of FPGA based microcontrollers
3 or more years of experience in superconducting qubits based devices characterization, including graduate school expected

Responsibilities

Lead and execute research projects in quantum computing, from superconducting qubits design, to packaging to low temperature RF metrology
Collaborate with product teams to tackle novel challenges and develop innovative solutions.
Collaboration: Stay current with industry and academic trends, publishing papers and presenting at conferences.
Reporting: Develop and present detailed reports and visualizations to communicate findings, trends, and actionable insights to stakeholders at all levels..
Motivation: Highly self-motivated problem solver able to thrive in unstructured environment.
Ability to independently pursue fundamental research, including paper writing and publishing.
Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex data and insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Analytical Skills: Demonstrated ability to quickly grasp and address challenges outside of immediate field of expertise.

Benefits

medical/dental/vision insurance
life, accident and disability insurance
tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts
employee assistance program
other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity
tuition reimbursement
transit
the Applause Program
employee stock purchase plan
the Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan