Staff Scientist - Quantum Applications (Defense)

IonQ•Albuquerque, NM

9d•$160,000 - $200,000•Remote

About The Position

IonQ is seeking two Staff Scientists – Quantum Applications (Defense) to be founding members of its newly established Customer Solutions team. The role works cross-functionally to help customers use IonQ quantum computers to address complex problems, developing tailored quantum solutions for defense-sector missions. The Staff Scientist partners with customers across academia, enterprise, government, and national laboratories, and serves as a technical leader and subject-matter expert for stakeholders. This is a hands-on, externally facing, customer-first position. Classical and quantum coding evaluations are part of the interview process. Candidates must be U.S. persons and reside in New Mexico. The role is remote in New Mexico, with 10% travel to customer sites.

Requirements

Doctorate in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a similar STEM field, plus at least 4 years of professional work experience developing quantum applications applicable to defense-related use cases such as optimization, AI/ML, or ChemMatBio.
Strong track record of peer-reviewed publications.
Experience leading Federal, DefenseTech, and industrial R&D engagements.
Experience tuning quantum algorithms and benchmarking across different quantum modalities and classical state-of-the-art methods.
Expertise in resource estimation and calculating crossover points.
Mastery of Python and Qiskit or a similar quantum SDK.
Working knowledge of C++ or another low-level programming language.
Evidence of putting customers and mission first and exceeding expectations.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills.
Must reside in New Mexico.
Must be a U.S. person.

Nice To Haves

Contributions to open-source or production-grade codebases.
Experience in the quantum solutions industry, such as in a solutions group at a quantum computing company or in a quantum department at an industrial company.
Experience developing software using agentic AI assistants such as Codex or Opus, including developing rapid prototypes to iterate with customers.
Experience developing well-tuned hybrid quantum algorithms that leverage the strengths of CPU and QPU.

Responsibilities

Develop impactful hybrid quantum applications that accelerate adoption of quantum computing for defense-related missions.
Partner directly with clients to identify, define, and solve problems using IonQ trapped-ion quantum computers.
Lead integration of quantum algorithms into realistic workflows by translating problem statements into quantum code, solving them using quantum computers, and reintegrating results into internal, open-source, and commercial off-the-shelf software tools.
Evolve algorithmic approaches in line with IonQ’s hardware roadmap, including the transition from NISQ to FTQC solutions.
Benchmark quantum algorithm performance against state-of-the-art methods and map frontier lines and crossover points for communication with customers.
Develop foundational intellectual property and high-impact-factor peer-reviewed publications.
Represent IonQ externally with customers and clients and at conferences.