Associate Positions at NIST Listings

Communications Technology Laboratory

Also see Associate Positions at NIST landing page.
 

Engineering Laboratory

EL position postings

Information Technology Laboratory

Experimental Quantum Network Metrology, Physicist

Overview

The Information Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified candidates to contribute to Experimental Quantum Network (QN) Science and Metrology utilizing our NIST quantum network testbed in Gaithersburg, including a 60 km dark-fiber link to the University of Maryland. The candidate will work on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland, within the Quantum Information Groups (QIG) Quantum Communication and Networking Project, and work with experts at NIST in the field of quantum information, our collaborators in academia and industry, and will have the opportunity to make use of cutting-edge equipment, such as photon-number resolving detectors and extremely high-quality single-photon sources and will be part of and work on the ongoing effort to develop new measurement science and devices for quantum networks, including sources, detectors, memories, transducers, metrology, and protocols. U.S. Citizens only.

Duties

• Work with NIST researchers, academia, and industry to develop and test QN components.
• Develop methods and protocols for verification and validation of entanglement links using entangled states of light within the (metropolitan) quantum network testbed.
• Synchronization of network nodes to sub-10 ps levels on metropolitan scales.
• In-situ characterization of fiber-links, e.g., polarization, optical path length, loss, noise, etc.
• Calibration and characterization of single-photon detectors and sources.
• Implementation of QN component software agents into QN control manager.
• Prepare high-quality scientific publications on performed work.
• Present results to supervisors, management, stakeholders and conferences.

Required Skills, Expertise and Qualifications:

• US citizenship is preferred
• Must have a PhD in Physics with 2 or more years of relevant experience.
• Proven background and experience in quantum information science and QNs.
• Proven experience using single-photon sources and detectors for quantum measurements.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent, collaborative, multi-disciplinary research
• Must have an aptitude and patience to perform precision measurements
• Extensive skills in Matlab and Python for data analysis, data taking and system automation.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Employment Terms

This opportunity is to be an associate researcher in the NIST Quantum Information Group for a term of 2 years, with options to renew and/or pursue longer term federal employment. Associate researchers are NOT Federal Employees, but they work aside NIST researchers. Relocation expenses will not be provided.

Salary: $78,000 - $83,000

How to express interest

Candidates who meet all required qualifications are invited to express their interest in the position by sending an updated CV to Dr. Thomas Gerrits via thomas.gerrits [at] nist.gov (thomas[dot]gerrits[at]nist[dot]gov) .

Quantum Networking Research Physicist 

Overview

The Information Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified candidates for the position of research physicist. The position will be for performing advanced quantum optical experiments within the Quantum Information Groups (QIG) Quantum Communication and Networking Project. The researcher will be tasked with independently developing and implementing the phase/polarization stabilization and recovery processes compatible with optical fiber-based quantum networks in very challenging conditions (such as long distance, lossy and noisy aerial fibers). The researcher will also be tasked with implementing Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) experiments across quantum network nodes for entanglement distribution along with the required node synchronization over the network. US citizenship is preferred.  

Duties

• Independently develop processes for phase and polarization recovery compatible with optical fiber-based quantum networks in very challenging conditions.
• Performing advanced quantum optics and quantum networking experiments.
• Produce high-quality publications based on research and results present at internal and external meetings and conferences.

Required Skills, Expertise and Qualifications

• US citizenship preferred.
• A PhD degree in Physics with 3 or more years of relevant experimental experience.
• Expertise in Quantum Optics, Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Systems (QIS) including a fundamental understanding of the mechanics of polarized light transmission through optical fibers at the classical and single photon level.
• Ability to build complex and extensive quantum optical experiments.
• Ability to develop deployable tools needed for advanced quantum networking experiments.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and strong presentation skills. 

Employment Terms

This opportunity is to be an associate researcher in the NIST Quantum Information Group for a term of 2 years, with options to renew and/or pursue longer term federal employment. Associate researchers are NOT Federal Employees, but they work aside NIST researchers. Relocation expenses will not be provided.

Salary: $78,000 - $83,000

How to express interest

Candidates who meet all of the required qualifications are invited to express their interest in the position by sending an updated CV to Dr. Oliver Slattery via oliver.slattery [at] nist.gov (oliver[dot]slattery[at]nist[dot]gov) . 

Material Measurement Laboratory

MML position postings

Physical Measurement Laboratory

Quantum Control Research Physicist

Overview 

NIST seeks a Principal Investigator to lead a program to develop algorithms and firmware for RFSoC electronics to better control qubits and quantum sensors. The successful candidate is expected to develop, test, and gradually make publicly accessible a scalable FPGA-based RFSoC quantum control system to perform direct digital synthesis (DDS) without up- and down conversion, for multiplexed microwave drive and readout of quantum systems, including quantum sensors and qubits. Also, to develop a system where the electronics are able to track the frequency drift of a large group of resonators located densely in frequency space. The system should be able to modify its output to match those multi-tone drifts within a few hundreds of nanoseconds. When developed, the algorithm should predict the likely drift of the resonance in the coming few microseconds of time, and feed forward into the output signal before those drifts occur. With minor modification, the same quantum control system would be suitable for doing error budget analysis and error correction for a mid-sized superconducting qubit system.

Duties

• Develop an RFSoC-based quantum control system as described in the Overview section above.
• Demonstrate the quantum control system using superconducting qubits and arrays of quantum sensors provided by NIST including microwave kinetic inductance detectors and superconducting transition-edge sensors with microwave multiplexed readout.
• Assist NIST staff with qubit operation and the design and execution of qubit-based experiments.
• Produce high-quality publications based on research and present results at internal and external meetings and conferences.
• When appropriate, publicly disseminate software and firmware. 

Required Skills, Expertise and Qualifications 

• A PhD in physics, electrical engineering, or a closely related field.
• At least five years of experience post PhD measuring superconducting qubits and superconducting sensors using microwave techniques.
• At least five years of experience post PhD developing FPGA-based readout and control systems for superconducting qubits or sensors.
• At least five years of experience post PhD developing scientific software in Python for instrument control and data taking.
• At least five years of experience post PhD with millikelvin cryogenic systems, including experience designing and characterizing microwave electrical signal chains that connect room temperature to the millikelvin stage. 

Additional Desirable Skills, Expertise and Qualifications 

• US citizenship preferred.
• At least three years of experience post PhD with either the design or fabrication of superconducting qubits. 

Employment Terms 

• This opportunity is to be an associate researcher in the NIST Quantum Sensors Division, located in Boulder, Colorado. Funds to support relocation are not available.
• Associate researchers are NOT federal employees, but they work closely with NIST researchers.
• Project end date is February 29, 2028. Successful candidates may have options to renew and/or pursue longer-term federal employment.
• Salary commensurate with experience; not to exceed $184,400/year. 

How to express interest 

Candidates who meet all of the required qualifications are invited to express their interest in the position by sending an updated CV to Dr. Joel Ullom via joel.ullom [at] nist.gov . 

NIST Center for Neutron Research

Also see Associate Positions at NIST landing page.