Senior Staff Scientist – Fault-Tolerant Quantum

IonQ•College Park, MD

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

IonQ is developing the world's most powerful full-stack quantum computer based on trapped-ion technology. We are pushing past the limits of classical physics and current supercomputing technology to unlock a new era of computing. Quantum computing has the potential to impact every area of human society for the better. IonQ’s computers will soon redefine industries like medicine, materials science, finance, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, and more. IonQ is at the forefront of this technological revolution. We are looking for a Senior Staff Scientist – Fault-Tolerant Quantum Algorithms to help lead the technical development of highly differentiated quantum solutions that will bring value to society. As a Senior Staff Scientist – Fault-Tolerant Quantum Algorithms, you’ll guide a cross-functional team whose mandate is central to IonQ’s mission to solve the world’s most complex problems using the world’s best quantum computers. As a technical leader in the field of fault-tolerant algorithms, you will help discover the next generation of quantum applications that will exceed state-of-the-art classical methods. You will be a core member of technical leadership in quantum algorithms, and you will drive research into new quantum algorithms and develop IP, computational resource models, long-term roadmaps, and end-to-end workflows that have the potential to disrupt the field of computing. You will also work closely with product, engineering, marketing, sales, operations, and external customers/partners to brainstorm new ideas, propose complex, multi-year initiatives and represent IonQ at high-visibility technical conferences (often all in a single day)!

Requirements

PhD in physics, mathematics, computer science, or similar field, or comparable field or equivalent work experience + 5 years of professional experience in the quantum computing field
13+ years of professional experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Demonstrated expertise in FTQC algorithms that can scale to millions of qubits, billions of gates with line-of-sight to end-customer value: active portfolio of invited talks, repos, licenses, publications and/or patents.
Active participant in the FTQC algorithm community via, e.g., development of tools (libraries, simulators, compiler), metrics (costing, resource estimation, ROI), and/or community (economic development, standards)
Relentless dedication to optimizing algorithmic performance (accuracy, time-to-solution) through elegant theoretical equations, as well as engineering optimization
Mastery of key mathematical techniques used in quantum computing and quantum algorithm development, and a demonstrated ability to communicate scientific results clearly.

Nice To Haves

7+ years of professional work experience developing FT quantum algorithms that align with realistic industry problems such as computer-aided engineering, phase transitions, reaction modeling, cybersecurity, differential equations solving, simulation of physical systems, etc.
Deep expertise in quantum algorithms for relevant use cases. This could include quantum simulation (e.g., product formulas, qubitization, qDRIFT, etc.), quantum algorithms and primitives (e.g., block-encodings, LCU, QSP, QSVT, Gibbs sampling, quantum linear systems, etc.), and/or end-to-end fault-tolerant quantum algorithms as applied to detailed use cases.
Demonstrated expertise in Python and Qiskit or similar quantum SDK; working knowledge of C++.
Experience proposing, winning, and executing on consultative (paid) contracts; government contracting or defense contracting experience a plus
Experience commercializing end-to-end software utilizing hybrid computing e.g. CPU + GPU + QPU, Edge, Cloud, etc.
Knowledge of CI/CD a plus.

Responsibilities

Influence the quantum applications roadmap towards fault-tolerant quantum algorithms that will make a large scientific and commercial impact by leading the origination, execution, and optimization of novel, end-to-end quantum algorithms. Guide other team members towards this goal.
Perform detailed resource analyses of quantum algorithms and perform SWOT analysis of FTQC approaches compared to NISQ and/or classical methods.
Provide trusted expertise and leadership in FTQC algorithms and communicate the current state-of-the-art, scaling behaviors, trade offs, cross-over points, etc. to stakeholders across the company.
Lead technical interactions across multi-disciplinary teams to identify, define and solve challenging real-world problems using IonQ trapped-ion quantum computers.
Define, develop, and drive adoption of industry-leading benchmarking and resource estimation methodologies, metrics, and tools.
Develop portfolio of foundational IP and high-impact-factor peer-reviewed publications; represent IonQ externally with customer/clients and at conferences.