Materials Scientist

Entangled Future; Sherbrooke; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Nord Quantique in Sherbrooke, QC, seeks a mid-level Materials Scientist to join the Mechanical Design & Manufacturing Team. You will advance SRF cavity fabrication, surface treatments, and in-line characterization to improve Q-factor and yield, translating experimental insights into scalable production.

The role requires strong materials science knowledge, 4+ years in process development, and proven project management.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics or closely related discipline.
• 4+ years hands-on experience developing and optimizing process improvement.
• Proven project management experience leading or coordinating fabrication efforts in academic or industrial settings.
• Great sense of autonomy and dependability.
• Willingness to learn and explore new concepts.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams, suppliers, and partner facilities.
• Excellent organizational and prioritization skills.
• Team-oriented mindset with knowledge sharing within the team.

Responsibilities

• Lead experimental R&D to improve 3D cavity performance, quality, yield, and reproducibility.
• Design, manage, and execute rigorous experimental programs to identify drivers of cavity performance and variability.
• Develop and refine materials and process strategies across fabrication, surface treatments, and post-machining workflows to improve Q-factor and consistency.
• Translate experimental insights into scalable improvements by defining in-line characterization and collaborating with internal teams and external partners.
• Identify and set up infrastructure for surface post-processing for different materials.

Skills

Autonomy

Dependability

Communication

Collaboration

Prioritization

Education

M.S. or PhD in Materials Science

Advanced degree related to materials/engineering

Job description

Materials Scientist at Nord Quantique, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. A mid-level full time position in the Research team, listed under hardware engineering.

Our current needs

As we scale the size of our quantum processors and supporting infrastructure, we are seeking a resourceful and driven Materials Scientist to join our Mechanical Design & Manufacturing Team. In this role, you will directly contribute to improving processor performance by championing the R&D effort focused on identifying and implementing fabrication techniques while ensuring high yield and reproducibility of our SRF cavities.

Your mission will be to develop the in-house fabrication and in-line characterization strategy to systematically improve cavity performance. To achieve this, you will design and manage experiments to identify the key drivers of cavity performance and variability, including planning experiments, defining controls and success metrics, analyzing results, and iterating based on data. Your work will span materials selection, fabrication methods, surface treatments, and post-machining processes, with the goal of improving Q-factor as well as intra- and inter-batch consistency.

A core responsibility of this role is translating experimental insights into scalable manufacturing improvements. You will define appropriate in-line characterization approaches, conduct trade studies across tools and techniques, and collaborate closely with internal teams (Quantum Hardware, EM Design, Nanofabrication) and external partners (DevTeQ) to execute experiments efficiently and move successful processes into production.

This is a dynamic role within a fast-paced, research-driven environment, offering the opportunity to contribute directly to the advancement of scalable quantum hardware.

Sought expertise and knowledge

• Strong foundation in materials science, preferably in developing SRF cavities, with practical experience applying this knowledge to real-world fabrication, surface treatments, or process development challenges.

Responsibilities

• Lead experimental R&D efforts to improve 3D cavity performance, quality, yield, and reproducibility, directly impacting quantum processor performance.
• Design, manage, and execute rigorous experimental programs to identify drivers of cavity performance and variability.
• Develop and refine materials and process strategies across fabrication, surface treatments, and post-machining workflows to improve Q-factor and intra-/inter-batch consistency.
• Translate experimental insights into scalable improvements by defining in-line characterization, conducting trade studies, and collaborating closely with internal teams (Quantum Hardware, EM Design, Nanofabrication) and external partners (DevTeQ).
• Identify and setup associated infrastructure facilities required for surface post-processing for different materials.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics or a closely related discipline.
• 4+ years hands-on experience developing and optimizing process improvement.
• Proven project management experience leading or coordinating fabrication efforts in an academic and/or industrial setting.
• Great sense of autonomy and dependability
• Willingness to learn and explore new concepts
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams, suppliers, and partner facilities.
• Excellent organizational and prioritization skills focused on achieving company objectives
• Team-oriented mindset with a focus on cooperation and knowledge sharing within the team