Quantum Information Science Postdoctoral Research Associate

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The Co-Design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) at BNL coordinates a team of leading experts from national laboratories, academic institutions, and industry partners, assembled to address challenges facing scalable quantum computing and provide breakthroughs to strengthen U.S. leadership in quantum information science and technology. The C2QA scientific mission is to deliver advances in materials science and modular architectures that enable scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing and quantum-limited sensing.

The research program is organized around two large-scale focused efforts: achieving quantum advantage through coherence-driven materials design and realizing scalable, modular quantum systems . These efforts integrate vertical co-design, from materials to algorithms, and cross-platform co-design across superconducting, neutral atom, and diamond-based systems, guided by quantitative resource estimates targeting DOE-priority scientific applications.

Position Description

The Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) at BNL is seeking an exceptional Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct pioneering research on materials for superconducting qubits and diamond quantum sensors, leveraging state-of-the-art electron microscopy facilities at the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department (CMPMS) and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN). The successful candidate will conduct research at the forefront of electron microscopy to elucidate structure-property relationships in quantum materials and devices, including material origins of quantum decoherence and quantum noise.

The successful candidate will perform structure characterization for quantum device applications, such as assessing the structure integrity of crystals and films, probing defects at surface and in the bulk, and mapping defect-induced strain distribution and spin configurations to understand materials' static and dynamic behavior. Research will involve a broad range of advanced techniques, including atomic imaging of surfaces and bulk, nano-probe diffraction (4D-STEM), high-energy-resolution, and valence-level energy-loss spectroscopy, cryogenic microscopy, Lorentz microscopy and ultrafast electron microscopy under electromagnetic and microwave excitations.

This two-year position will be jointly supervised by Yimei Zhu (CMPMS) and Mingzhao Liu (CFN). The successful candidate will closely collaborate with leading experimental and theoretical groups from materials synthesis and device performance measurements to structural modeling in C2QA.

As a Postdoctoral Research Associate,

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Conduct electron microscopy studies of superconducting qubits and diamond quantum sensors to understand structure-property relationships.
• Contribute to material/device fabrication to improve material properties, by identifying defects as source of decoherence.
• Participate in intra-team and inter-team collaboration in correlating materials analysis with quantum device performance.

Qualifications for this Research Associate position:

• Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, or closely related fields is required within the last 5 years.
• Solid background in electron microscopy and structural characterization.
• Ability to work effectively within a diverse multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional team environment.
• Communicate effectively in writing and presentations and have a record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Committed to fostering an environment of safe scientific work practices.

Candidates well-matched to this position with:

• Extensive hands-on experience in advanced electron microscopy, such as aberration-corrected atomic imaging, quantitative electron diffraction (e.g., 4D-STEM), monochromated electron energy-loss-spectroscopy, in-situ microscopy, cryogenic electron microscopy, and ultrafast electron microscopy, as well as strong expertise in associated data acquisition and analysis.
• Effectively collaborate in a team to tackle challenging scientific problems, particularly quantum information science
• Experience with superconducting materials studies

• While principally based at Brookhaven National Laboratory, candidates should be willing to travel to carry out experiments at various national and international facilities.
• Brookhaven Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. This is a multi-level role and the full salary range for this position is $75,000 - $81,000 / year. You will be placed at the level and salary commensurate with your experience. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final…