Internship Opportunity: Applied Quantum Optimization Research

IBM; Zürich; Hybrid; CHF 13,000 - 20,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Research GmbH in Zürich offers an internship in Applied Quantum Optimization Research. The role supports senior scientists by running numerical experiments, formulating models, and evaluating performance.

This hybrid position is a fixed-term internship designed to bridge theoretical methods with practical software prototypes for quantum optimization workflows. Ideal candidates will have a strong mathematical background, experience in quantum computing or related fields, and programming

Qualifications

• Strong foundation in applied mathematics and numerical methods.
• Background in quantum computing or related field.
• Experience with optimization heuristics or algorithm testing.
• Ability to analyze research literature and extract methodologies.
• Excellent technical communication for documenting results.

Responsibilities

• Assist in designing and running numerical experiments for quantum optimization.
• Develop and test mathematical models and solver prototypes.
• Benchmark algorithm performance and report findings to the team.

Skills

Applied mathematics

Quantum computing

Operations research

Theoretical computer science

Programming languages

Job description

Job Title

Internship Opportunity: Applied Quantum Optimization Research

Job ID

137372

City / Township / Village

Rueschlikon

State / Province

Zurich

Country

Switzerland

Work arrangement

Hybrid

Area of work

Research

Employment type

Intern (Fixed Term)

Position type

Internship

Travel required

No Travel

Company

(1084) IBM Research GmbH

Shift

General (daytime)

Is this role a commissionable/sales incentive based position?

No

QUANTUM ROLE CONTEXT | Appended by Quantum.Jobs v2

Role context:

This research internship role exists to explore, test, and refine mathematical algorithms designed for quantum optimization applications. Situated within an industrial research environment, the position supports senior scientists by executing numerical experiments, formulating specialized problem models, and evaluating algorithmic performance. By bridging mathematical theory and practical software prototypes, the role accelerates the exploration of complex computational workflows, allowing research teams to identify viable algorithmic strategies, benchmark efficiency, and refine theoretical models before enterprise implementation.

Quantum ecosystem relevance:

Applied quantum optimization research directly addresses key computational challenges across logistics, finance, and industrial design. By testing quantum algorithms on practical constraints, this role contributes to the development of useful quantum software tools and hybrid classical-quantum solver methodologies. Advancements generated in these research positions help demonstrate practical utility, identify hardware limitations, and lay the foundation for eventual commercial value in enterprise-level quantum applications and operational software workflows.

Capability signals:

• Academic foundation in applied mathematics, quantum computing, operations research, or theoretical computer science
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used for algorithmic modeling and scientific computing
• Experience implementing numerical simulations, optimization heuristics, or mathematical problem formulations
• Ability to analyze technical research literature and extract key methodologies for testing
• Strong technical communication skills for documenting research findings and collaborating with teams