Senior R&D Scientist

Capella Space; Genf; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits and insurance

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

Legal insurance

Tech stipend

Job summary

IonQ, Inc. is seeking a Senior R&D Scientist in Geneva to advance SNSPD testing and metrology, working at the intersection of device physics, optical testing, and system integration.

You will design scalable testing approaches and operate cryogenic measurement setups in a highly collaborative environment. The role requires a PhD or Master’s in Physics/Engineering with 3+ years in experimental physics, strong data analysis, and hands-on experience with photonic systems.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Physics, Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 3+ years of experience in experimental physics or a related field.
• Hands-on experimental work or engineering experience.
• Proven experience testing and characterizing optical or photonic systems (e.g., optoelectronic devices, waveguides).
• Solid understanding of measurement science and metrology principles.
• Strong data analysis skills and ability to derive insights from measurements.
• Ability to work autonomously while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.
• Fluent in English, with French considered a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of advanced testing strategies for SNSPD devices, focusing on scalability and throughput.
• Rethink and optimize characterization methodologies, potentially transitioning toward wafer-level testing.
• Develop and operate optical and cryogenic measurement setups for device characterization.
• Analyze complex datasets to guide device design and process improvements, exploring performance limits and variability.
• Collaborate with fabrication, packaging, and system teams to ensure test compatibility with manufacturing flows.
• Document methodologies, results, and best practices in a structured and transferable way.

Skills

Experimental physics

Optics/photonic testing

Data analysis

Metrology

Autonomy

Cross-team collaboration

English fluency

Education

Master’s degree in Physics/Engineering or related field

Tools

Optical measurement equipment

Cryogenic measurement setups

Job description

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance. Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.

What to expect

To support the next phase of growth of its SNSPD platform, IDQ is looking for a Senior R&D Scientist to join its team in Geneva. This role targets a highly motivated PhD-level candidate with a strong background in experimental physics, optics, or engineering, and a drive to rethink and scale testing methodologies for advanced photonic devices. The position focuses on developing and implementing next-generation testing and metrology approaches to enable scalable, reliable, and high-throughput characterization of SNSPD technologies. The successful candidate will work at the intersection of device physics, optical testing, and system-level thinking, in close collaboration with R&D, engineering, and industrialization teams.

What you'll be doing

• Lead the development of advanced testing strategies for SNSPD devices, with a focus on scalability and throughput.
• Rethink and optimize existing characterization methodologies, including possibly the transition toward wafer-level testing approaches.
• Develop and operate optical and cryogenic measurement setups for device characterization.
• Analyse and interpret complex datasets to guide device design and process improvements while driving experimental investigations to understand performance limits and variability across devices and wafers.
• Collaborate closely with fabrication, packaging, and system teams to ensure test compatibility with manufacturing flows.
• Document methodologies, results, and best practices in a structured and transferable way.

What you'll bring

• Master’s degree in Physics, Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 3+ years of experience in experimental physics or a related field.
• Strong foundation in hands‑on experimental work or engineering.
• Proven experience testing and characterizing optical or photonic systems (e.g., optoelectronic devices, waveguides, or similar platforms).
• Solid understanding of measurement science and metrology principles, with experience designing or improving experimental setups.
• Strong data analysis skills, with the ability to extract meaningful insights from complex measurements.
• Ability to work autonomously while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Fluent in English, with French considered a plus.

You’ll be a great fit with

• A PhD or Master’s degree in Physics, Engineering, or a closely related field.
• A strong hands‑on background in optics or photonics experimental work.
• 5+ years of experience working in industry.

Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available.

• comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• matching 401(k)
• unlimited PTO and paid holidays
• parental/adoption leave
• legal insurance
• home technology stipend

At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

US Technical Jobs. The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying "U.S. Person" (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export-controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

US Non-Technical Jobs. Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.