Staff Experimental Physicist (Fluxonium Development)

D-Wave (NYSE: QBTS), D-Wave is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services. We are the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, and the only company building both annealing and gate-model quantum computers. Our mission is to help customers realize the value of quantum, today. Our quantum computers — the world’s largest — feature QPUs with sub-second response times and can be deployed on-premises or accessed through our quantum cloud service, which offers 99.9% availability and uptime. More than 100 organizations trust D-Wave with their toughest computational challenges. With over 200 million problems submitted to our quantum systems to date, our customers apply our technology to address use cases spanning optimization, artificial intelligence, research and more. Learn more about realizing the value of quantum computing today and how we’re shaping the quantum-driven industrial and societal advancements of tomorrow: www.dwavequantum.com.

You can read more about our company and our innovations in the pages of The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Fast Company, MIT Technology Review, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Wired and across many whitepapers.

At D-Wave, we’re helping customers realize the value of quantum computing today and are shaping the quantum-driven industrial and societal advancements of tomorrow.

About the role

We are looking for a creative, energetic, and driven Staff Experimental Physicist to join our Processor Development (PD) team. The PD team is composed of experienced and talented superconducting designers, fabrication engineers, software developers and physicists who work together to create the processors at the heart of our quantum computers and are constantly pushing the boundaries of the technology of the future.

In this role, you will provide technical leadership in experimental characterization, calibration, and control of superconducting gate-model processors and fluxonium qubits. You will define experimental strategies, benchmarking and error mitigation approaches, and system requirements needed to support near term error correction demonstrations and future processor architectures.

You will collaborate across multiple project areas, including qubit and gate performance, noise and coherence characterization, control and readout scaling, and interactions between device design, control hardware, and the cryogenic environment. As a senior contributor, you will operate with significant independence, apply strong technical judgement to prioritize high impact work, and support the broader PD team through mentorship, documentation, and cross functional collaboration.

What you'll do

• Lead experimental characterization of fluxonium qubits and processor components through quantitative modeling and data driven analysis.
• Investigate and understand decoherence and noise mechanisms, and propose improvements in device design and cryogenic operation to mitigate them.
• Develop, calibrate, and validate high fidelity single qubit and two qubit gates, reset and readout, using standard and novel benchmarking protocols.
• Develop error mitigation and performance improvement strategies.
• Diagnose scaling limitations to support near- and long-term error correction demonstrations.
• Collaborate with designers on device parameter studies and simulations to define measurement primitives and requirements for improved processor performance.
• Share your results and ideas with the broader PD team through regular and clear documentation.
• Create and contribute to Lisp software infrastructure for modeling, calibrating and operating qubits and processors.

About you

• Ph.D. in quantum computing or a related experimental field plus four years’ experience in quantum technology development, or equivalent combination of academic and government or industrial research experience.
• Expertise in one or more of the following: superconducting devices, gate model processor development, device fabrication, RF engineering and low-noise electronics.
• Strong software development skills for technology development or experimentation, including familiarity with collaborative development environment and version control. Willingness to learn new languages and tools as needed.
• Excellent technical intuition and problem solving skills.
• Demonstrated excellence in independent research and evidence of deep understanding in your area of expertise.
• A collaborative mindset and demonstrated ability to work effectively on an interdisciplinary team and take shared accountability for successes and setbacks.
• Excellent communication skills and experience with summarizing technical information for a broad audience.
• Ability to adapt to shifting priorities in a time-sensitive environment, while maintaining focus on challenging problems.

Exceptional candidates will have

• Expertise in calibrating and characterizing fluxonium qubits.
• Experience with system design or systems engineering, particularly in the context of scalable gate model technologies.
• Familiarity with architecture design for low crosstalk and scalable two-qubit coupling schemes.
• Expertise in cryogenic microwave engineering for quantum control and troubleshooting RF components and setups.
• Competency in mentoring colleagues and/or evidence of previous technical leadership.
• Knowledge of superconducting qubit fabrication techniques and their impact on qubit performance.
• Experience designing and executing benchmarking protocols (for example RB, interleaved RB, XEB, gate set tomography), and familiar with quantum error correction methods.

A D-Waver's DNA

• We look at the future and say “why not”; we see possibilities where others see problems or routines. We show the way ahead and are committed to achieving ambitious goals.
• We practice straight talk and listen generously to each other with empathy. We value different opinions and points of views. We ensure that we connect outside as well as inside to learn from others and inspire each other.
• We hold ourselves accountable for delivering results. We make decisions & take responsibility so that we can act & support each other.
• As leaders we motivate & engage our teams to undertake beyond what they originally thought possible, by developing our teams & creating the conditions for people to grow and empower themselves through enabling & coaching.

Our Compensation Philosophy is Simple but Powerful:

We believe providing D-Wavers with company ownership, competitive pay, and a range of meaningful benefits is the start of creating a culture where people want to give the best they’ve got — not because they’re simply making money, but because they’ve fallen in love with our vision, mission, values, and team.

During the interview process, your Recruiter will review our total rewards (base, equity, bonus, perks, benefit, culture) offerings. The final offer is determined by your proficiencies within this level.

Inclusion:

We celebrate diverse perspectives to drive innovation in our pursuit. Our employees range from distinguished domain experts with decades of experience in their respective fields, to bright and motivated graduates eager to make their mark. Our diverse and innovative team will make you feel appreciated, supported and empower your career growth at D-Wave.

The Fine Print:

No 3rd party candidates will be accepted

It is D-Wave Systems Inc. policy to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, local law.

The base pay range for this role is:

164,000 - 225,000 CAD per year (Burnaby)

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