Senior Scientist, Quantum Sensing (Magnetometry)

Airbus Ventures; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexibility

Equity potential

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Q-CTRL is seeking a Senior Scientist for the Magnetometry Novel Hardware team in Australia. You will design, develop, test, and characterise state-of-the-art magnetometers and related hardware to operate in aerospace, defence, field environments.

Collaborating with physicists, engineers, and software teams, you will translate lab results into engineering requirements, drive prototype testing, and support field trials while ensuring reliability amid vibrations and EMI.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industry experience in atomic, molecular, and optical physics or related field.
• Hands-on experience with quantum sensor hardware and optics.
• Ability to translate lab results into engineering requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and characterise novel state-of-the-art magnetometers and hardware for aerospace, defence, geophysics, medical, and navigation applications.
• Carry out laboratory and field testing to improve sensor performance and reliability in harsh environments.
• Translate experimental results into engineering requirements for prototypes and subcomponents.
• Collaborate with engineers, scientists, and software teams to enable hardware deployment and field trials.
• Identify performance limitations and develop mitigation strategies compatible with miniaturisation and deployment.

Skills

Quantum sensor hardware

Atomic sensor design

Python

GitHub

Poetry

Communication

Education

PhD in atomic, molecular, and optical physics

Tools

Lasers

Optics

Electro-optical systems

Job description

About the team

Q-CTRL’s Quantum Sensing Research team performs basic and applied research in quantum sensing and quantum-enabled navigation. It is a highly dynamic team comprising approximately 30 specialists in theoretical and experimental atomic physics, cold-atom interferometry, navigation modeling, and modern Bayesian estimation and signal processing techniques.

The Quantum Sensing Research and Quantum Sensing R&D teams work closely together, translating novel quantum sensing research into a useful capability and product. We are focussed on pushing the boundary of what is possible in quantum sensing and ensuring our R&D has real-world impact.

About the Role

As a Senior Scientist in the Magnetometry Novel Hardware team, you will work closely with aninterdisciplinary team comprising experts in quantum sensing and engineering to design, develop, test, and characterise novel state-of-the-art magnetometers and auxiliary hardware, that will solve pressing challenges in aeronautical and maritime positioning and navigation, geophysical exploration, medical diagnostics & imaging, and magnetic anomaly detection. Your focus will be to bring these sensors' exquisite laboratory performance into extreme environments, developing hardware and measurement approaches that maintain reliable operation amid environmental disturbances such as vibrations and electromagnetic interference.

What you'll be doing:

• Collaborating across teams with experimental and modelling physicists, electronics engineers, and software engineers, to develop state-of-the-art quantum magnetometers and auxiliary hardware for aerospace, defence, geophysical exploration, and medical applications.
• Carrying out design, development, testing, and characterisation work in both the laboratory and the field, to improve sensor performance, autonomy, and reliability in harsh environments.
• Developing and testing early-stage prototypes on optical tables, translating experimental results into requirements for engineering prototypes.
• Working continuously with engineering teams to inform design, support subcomponent testing, and lead scientific commissioning through to field trials.
• Identifying adverse effects that limit sensor performance and developing mitigation strategies compatible with both miniaturisation and field deployment.
• Working with technical leadership to organise and execute hardware and capability development programmes, including field trials of our sensors and auxiliary hardware.
• Liaising with academic and industry partners to support sensor development, new business opportunities, and product development.
• Sharing insights and results with the Research division, colleagues, external stakeholders, and customers through presentations, academic publications, technical reports, and blog posts.
• Other duties within the Employee's skills and experience, or with reasonable training.

Ideally you'll have:

• A PhD, or equivalent industry experience, in atomic, molecular, and optical physics or a closely related discipline.
• Hands-on experience with quantum sensor hardware, such as lasers, optics, electro-optical systems.
• Experience in atomic sensor design, construction, operation, and characterisation.
• A practical, experimental approach to identifying performance limitations and improving sensor reliability in challenging environments.
• Proficiency in Python for numerical simulations, data logging, and analysis; familiarity with GitHub and tools like Poetry; and an appreciation for sound software design and architecture.
• The ability to communicate technical results clearly to a wide and varied audience.

It would be fantastic if you have these skills/experience but not essential:

• Experience with quantum magnetometers using alkali vapours, such as free induction decay (FID), nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR), or spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometers.
• Experience deploying quantum sensors in fielded settings.
• Experience working in an interdisciplinary context with R&D scientists and engineers.

About Q-CTRL

Q-CTRL is the global leader in AI-powered quantum control infrastructure software. We build the tools that make quantum technology useful, solving the hardest challenges in quantum computing and quantum sensing to deliver real-world impact.

Founded in 2017, we operate globally with offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Huntsville, Berlin, and Oxford. Our teams bring together technical and multi-disciplinary expertise across the product lifecycle, and we’re hiring talent to help scale every part of the business. We work quickly to turn cutting-edge science into deployable technology.

In 2024 we raised US$113 million in Series B funding, the largest aggregate investment for a quantum software company. Six months later we delivered the first commercial quantum advantage with Ironstone Opal, our field‑validated quantum navigation solution for defense and industry.

At Q-CTRL, we prioritize outcomes over hours. We offer flexibility, equity potential, and competitive benefits that reflect our high‑performance culture. If you’re ready to help shape the future of quantum, we’d love to hear from you!

Please be advised that our communications will only come from the @q-ctrl.com domain. All our active job postings are available on our company website.

To recruitment agencies, we do not accept unsolicited branded profiles and are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.