Duration: 24 months + option to renew

Location: Talence and Massy

Start date: available immediately

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on quantum error correction (QEC) and fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) for photonic and spin-optical architectures. The successful candidate will work part-time in the QEC/FTQC team of Quandela (Massy, Paris region, France) and part-time in the Institut Mathématiques de Bordeaux, under the supervision of Prof. Gilles Zémor, for an initial two-year term, with the possibility of extension.

Quandela is a spin-off company from the French national laboratory CNRS that develops quantum processors based on the manipulation of single photons. Its core technology is quantum-dot single-photon sources with a spin degree of freedom, which allows to encode quantum information on both spins and photons, and gives a lot of versatility in terms of connectivity and two-qubit interactions to develop high-performance architectures for FQTC. Quandela’s research teams cover experimental research on the sources, algorithms, modelling, benchmarking, compilation and quantum error correction.

The Institut de Mathématiques de Bordeaux (IMB) is a CNRS - Université de Bordeaux - Bordeaux INP joint research unit. It brings together the scientific activities of numerous researchers, professors, doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows. Prof. G. Zémor’s work focuses on the theory of error-correcting codes, both classical and quantum, and their interactions with other areas of mathematics and computer science, with the aim to design high-performance quantum error-correcting codes that significantly advance the state of the art. His primary interest lies in codes defined by low-weight stabilizers or sparse parity-check matrices, as these are the most likely to be used in future generations of quantum computers, as well as the development of decoding algorithms.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will work on one or several of the following topics:  

• QEC codes of practical size for hardware implementation;  

• Erasure decoding;

• Non-Clifford logical gates.

They will divide their time equally between Quandela and IMB (details to be arranged). They will undertake high-quality original research in the field of QEC, publish in leading international journals and conferences and keep up to date with the latest developments in QEC and related fields. They will collaborate with other teams in Quandela to contribute to the implementation of QEC experiments and FTQC protocols.

What we offer  

• Competitive salary and benefits

• Opportunities for professional development and advancement, both in academia and in a rapidly growing company (potential for a permanent researcher position in Quandela upon contract completion)

• Access to the resources and facilities of the University of Bordeaux, The IMB laboratory will also provide an interdisciplinary working atmosphere, through Naquidis Center, the Innovative Centre for Disruptive Quantum Products

Requirements

• Ph.D. degree or equivalent in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related discipline, with a focus on quantum information theory

• Strong background in quantum error correction, or in classical error correction with an interest in extending knowledge to quantum error correction

• Familiarity with programming languages and tools for scientific computing will be appreciated

Recruitment process

If you are a passionate researcher with a strong interest in the field of quantum error correcting codes, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Please contact Gilles Zémor (gilles.zemor@math.u-bordeaux.fr), or Boris Bourdoncle (boris.bourdoncle@quandela.com)