Research Associate in Quantum Computation

Job number

ENG04009

Faculties

Faculty of Engineering

Departments

Department of Computing

Salary or Salary range

£50,733 - £59,484 per annum

Location/campus

South Kensington Campus - On site only

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Fixed term

Posting End Date

18 Oct 2026

About the role

Dr Zhenyu Cai’s research group in the Department of Computing seeks a highly motivated and exceptionally talented quantum theorist to lead projects aimed at developing a full-stack approach to suppressing errors in quantum hardware. This research focuses on achieving practical quantum computation by integrating techniques ranging from hardware-level noise suppression, quantum error mitigation, all the way to full fault-tolerant computation.

What you would be doing

The successful candidate will contribute to cutting-edge theoretical research in topics including (but not limited to):

Quantum architectures, compilation, and scalable quantum systems

Quantum error correction

Quantum error mitigation

Hardware implementation of quantum error correction/mitigation protocols

This post is primarily funded by the EPSRC Quantum Technologies Fellowship held by Dr Cai. Although theory-focused, the position encourages engagement with experimental partners, including those in industry. The project will support research visits and joint activities with these collaborators.

The research will involve both analytical work and numerical computations. The balance between analytical and numerical type work is flexible and can depend on the preferences and skills of the successful applicant. Access to high-performance computing facilities and cloud-based quantum hardware will be provided to support the simulation and verification of theoretical methods.

What we are looking for

A PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research / industrial experience.

Practical experience within a research environment and publication in relevant and refereed journals / conferences in the field of quantum computation.

Experience of dealing with industry partners and research collaborators.

Experience of error correction simulation using packages like Stim and/or conducting large quantum circuit simulation and experience of scientific programming involving HPC or GPU systems; experience of participating in collaborative software projects; use of GitHub or similar are desirable.

Please see job description for full list of requirements

What we can offer you

You will have the opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution. Imperial College is currently ranked #2 in the QS world university rankings with the Department of Computing ranked top of the 2021 UK REF assessment.

You will receive a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year) and a comprehensive early career development support package including 10 training and development days.

Further information

*Candidates who have not been awarded a PhD you will be appointed at Research Assistant level within the salary range: £45,399 - £48,876 per annum

Full-time, Fixed term to start as soon as possible for 36 months

In addition to completing the online application candidates should attach:

A full CV, highlighting publications or preprints relevant to the position

A 1-page research statement on how your experience meets the above requirements.

If you require any further details on the role, please contact Dr Zhenyu Cai: z.cai1@imperial.ac.uk

For queries regarding the application process contact Jamie Perrins: j.perrins@imperial.ac.uk

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top-ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages.

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