Postdoc position in Quantum Software and Quantum Communication (DEIS)

AAU; Aalborg; Presencial; DKK 42.000 - 62.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Aalborg University in Aalborg is offering a fully funded postdoc position in quantum software and quantum communication within the Department of Computer Science. The role is initially for one year with the possibility of extension, starting February 1, 2027 or soon thereafter.

You will join a collaborative project with potential partners and supervisees, focusing on synthesis, simulation, equivalence checking, and correctness evaluation of quantum systems, along with language design for

Formación

• PhD required in a relevant field (theoretical CS, RL, or related).
• Strong background in at least one of the specified areas.
• Excellent spoken and written English.

Responsabilidades

• Synthesize quantum circuits and apply reinforcement learning.
• Simulate quantum circuits under noisy conditions and model order reduction.
• Develop equivalence metrics and distances for quantum circuits.
• Evaluate correctness of quantum communication systems and protocols.
• Contribute to design and semantics of distributed quantum programming languages.

Conocimientos

Reinforcement learning

Theoretical computer science

English proficiency

Educación

PhD in a relevant field

Descripción del empleo

Postdoc position in Quantum Software and Quantum Communication

At the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Department of Computer Science, a fully‑funded postdoc position is available within the area of design automation / software stack for quantum computing and quantum communication. The position will be hosted at the Aalborg campus of Aalborg University. The position is initially offered for one year with the option to be extended. The expected starting date is February 1, 2027 or soon thereafter.

The candidate will be part of the section Distributed, Embedded and Distributed Systems https://www.cs.aau.dk/research/distributed-embedded-intelligent-systems/

and the research group Quantum Systems Analysis and Synthesis https://www.cs.aau.dk/research/research-groups/quantum-systems-analysis-and-synthesis-qsas

The Department of Computer Science features a broad range of synergistic activities within research and education in the general area of computer science, including curiosity‑driven research and targeted research in collaboration with industrial partners, traditional university education with a unique problem‑and project‑based focus, and continued education and knowledge dissemination.

The candidate will be supervised by Kim Guldstrand Larsen, Jiri Srba, and Christian Schilling.

Your work tasks

The candidate will join a collaborative project. Depending on the background and preferences of the candidate, this will be a project that also includes partners from Aarhus University and industry or a project that involves other departments at Aalborg University. The projects consist of multiple tasks, which are shortly outlined below. It is not intended that the candidate works on all tasks. The concrete tasks will be agreed upon with the supervisors, based on the candidate’s background and preferences.

Task 1: Synthesis of quantum circuits. We intend to apply reinforcement learning. This task will include feasibility and scalability considerations (e.g., approximate solutions, application of symbolic data structures).

Task 2: Simulation of quantum circuits with high‑level structure and under noisy conditions. This task will include the extension of recent work on model‑order reduction applied to quantum circuits. The extension will cover quantum programs with loops and various noise effects.

Task 3: Equivalence checking of quantum circuits. This task will include the identification of suitable metrics for approximate equivalence and algorithms to efficiently compute approximation distances. A potential direction is the generalization to parallel GPU computations.

Task 4: Correctness evaluation of quantum communication systems and quantum protocols. This task will include approaches such as statistical model checking and conformal prediction to efficiently assess a given design and identify bugs or bottlenecks.

Task 5: Design and semantics of distributed quantum programming and modelling languages. This task will include the development of language features and formal semantics for programming and modeling distributed quantum systems, enabling correct composition, communication, and verification of quantum processes across multiple nodes.

Qualification requirements

Appointment as postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level. Due to the project’s angle, the candidate should have a strong background in at least one of the following areas: theoretical computer science (e.g., formal methods, design automation, algorithms) and reinforcement learning. The candidate should be open to practical computational experiments. Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English are expected.

Salary and terms of employment

The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities. Furthermore, your terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities.

You can find information about the salary and salary structure for the position in the Salary Overview for Recruitment - Scientific positions (VIP). Please refer to the introductory section of the page and the section entitled “Postdoc”.

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world

Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.