Senior Scientist - Quantum Computing

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Richland, WA

19h

About The Position

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.
Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.
The Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate's (PCSD’s) strengths in experimental, computational, and theoretical chemistry and materials science, together with our advanced computing, applied mathematics and data science capabilities, are central to the discovery mission we embrace at PNNL. But our most important resource is our people—experts across the range of scientific disciplines who team together to take on the biggest scientific challenges of our time.
The Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and Data Division (ACMDD) focuses on basic and applied computing research encompassing artificial intelligence, applied mathematics, computing technologies, and data and computational engineering. Our scientists and engineers apply end-to-end co-design principles to advance future energy-efficient computing systems and design the next generation of algorithms to analyze, model, understand, and control the behavior of complex systems in science, energy, and national security.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory seeks a Senior Scientist in Quantum Computing to provide scientific leadership and technical expertise in quantum computing architectures, compilation, large-scale simulation, and fault-tolerant scalability, supporting PNNL’s contributions to the Quantum Science Center (QSC) and PNNL’s Internal Research Investment QuAADS.
This position is focused on end-to-end, system-level research across the quantum computing stack and hybrid quantum HPC systems. The successful candidate will lead and conduct research in aligning architectures, compilers, error models, simulation, and hybrid quantum–classical execution to determine how fault-tolerant quantum computing can be realized in practice for scientific workloads. A key responsibility of this role is extending PNNL’s existing quantum software and simulation capabilities, including large-scale, noise-aware simulation on leadership-class HPC systems. This is a senior technical role with substantial engagement in research, modeling, and software direction.
The Computer Scientist will lead research and development efforts in the design and evaluation of quantum computing architectures and fault-tolerant systems, focusing on feasibility, scalability, and implications for scientific workloads. The successful candidate will select and develop technical approaches for complex problems with limited oversight and will deliver results through publications, reusable software, and technical products.
The role includes leading and integrating task-level contributions across disciplines, working closely with hybrid algorithms, scientific applications, and experimental validation teams. The candidate will contribute to coordinated development across relevant stack components—such as compilation strategies, error and noise modeling, simulation methods, and hybrid execution models—ensuring technical consistency and clear documentation.
A major focus is conducting large-scale, noise-aware simulation and advancing and applying PNNL’s Northwest Quantum Simulator (NWQ-Sim) to study architectural scalability, compilation strategies, and fault-tolerance tradeoffs under realistic assumptions. The candidate will lead small to medium project tasks (and serve as PI or co-PI where appropriate), supporting scoping, scheduling, and milestone execution while integrating the work of collaborators.
The Computer Scientist will contribute to proposal development and business development activities, generating technical ideas and leading technical sections of proposals within their area. The role includes mentoring junior staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students, and participating in internal technical reviews. The successful candidate will model strong expectations for quality, reproducibility, and secure research execution, and will communicate technical results to both internal stakeholders and external professional audiences.

Requirements

• BS/BA and 5+ years of relevant experience -OR- MS/MA and 3+ years of relevant experience -OR- PhD with 1+ year of relevant experience

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Established expertise in quantum computing systems, architectures, or software, with demonstrated contributions in one or more of: compilation, simulation, system-level modeling, or fault-tolerant methods.
• Applied knowledge of quantum error correction concepts and fault-tolerant architectural tradeoffs sufficient to conduct system-level evaluation under realistic noise/error assumptions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead defined technical efforts, select technical approaches for complex problems with limited oversight, and deliver results through publications and/or reusable research software.
• Experience contributing to proposals and funded research activities; experience serving as PI/co-PI or leading major tasks is valued.
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications, open or internal software contributions, and clear technical communication; growing engagement in the external research community is expected.
• Experience mentoring junior researchers, postdoctoral scholars, or students is a plus.
• Prior experience in DOE-funded programs, national laboratories, or comparable research environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership and technical expertise in quantum computing architectures, compilation, large-scale simulation, and fault-tolerant scalability
• Lead and conduct research in aligning architectures, compilers, error models, simulation, and hybrid quantum–classical execution to determine how fault-tolerant quantum computing can be realized in practice for scientific workloads
• Extending PNNL’s existing quantum software and simulation capabilities, including large-scale, noise-aware simulation on leadership-class HPC systems
• Lead research and development efforts in the design and evaluation of quantum computing architectures and fault-tolerant systems, focusing on feasibility, scalability, and implications for scientific workloads
• Select and develop technical approaches for complex problems with limited oversight and will deliver results through publications, reusable software, and technical products
• Leading and integrating task-level contributions across disciplines, working closely with hybrid algorithms, scientific applications, and experimental validation teams
• Contribute to coordinated development across relevant stack components—such as compilation strategies, error and noise modeling, simulation methods, and hybrid execution models—ensuring technical consistency and clear documentation
• Conducting large-scale, noise-aware simulation and advancing and applying PNNL’s Northwest Quantum Simulator (NWQ-Sim) to study architectural scalability, compilation strategies, and fault-tolerance tradeoffs under realistic assumptions
• Lead small to medium project tasks (and serve as PI or co-PI where appropriate), supporting scoping, scheduling, and milestone execution while integrating the work of collaborators
• Contribute to proposal development and business development activities, generating technical ideas and leading technical sections of proposals within their area
• Mentoring junior staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students, and participating in internal technical reviews
• Model strong expectations for quality, reproducibility, and secure research execution, and will communicate technical results to both internal stakeholders and external professional audiences.

Benefits

• Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support.
• Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match.
• Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree