Principal Scientist Neutral Atom QPU

QpiAI; India; On-site; INR 2,000,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

QPIAI India Pvt. Ltd. is seeking a lead Neutral Atom QPU Designer to architect and build quantum hardware using neutral atoms as qubits.

You will guide a team, define experiments, and collaborate with superconducting QPU efforts to integrate systems in a data centre environment. Roles include developing high‑fidelity qubit control, implementing error-tailored architectures, and translating theory into practical experimental setups with optical tweezers, lasers, and vacuum systems.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Atomic/Molecular/Optical Physics, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience building neutral atom experiments, including ultra-high vacuum systems, lasers, and optics.
• Strong proficiency in Python for hardware control, simulation, and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a team of neutral atom QPU designers and establish necessary infrastructure.
• Collaborate with superconducting QPU design teams for system integration in data centres.
• Design, prototype, and test experimental setups for trapping, cooling, and manipulating neutral atoms with lasers and vacuum equipment.
• Develop high-fidelity qubit control techniques to enable gates and entanglement between atom qubits.
• Create system architectures to scale from hundreds to thousands of qubits with error-tailored approaches.
• Conduct experiments to characterize and mitigate noise and errors in neutral-atom operations.
• Translate theoretical quantum computing concepts into practical laboratory setups.

Skills

Python for hardware control

Team leadership

Hardware debugging

Education

PhD in Physics/EE/AMO or related field

Tools

Ultra-high vacuum systems

Lasers & optics

Job description

Company Overview

QPIAI India Pvt. Ltd. is a next‑generation technology company focused on Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and advanced IT innovation. The company promotes flexibility, collaboration, continuous learning, and a strong commitment to employee well‑being and work‑life balance, fostering creativity, professional growth, and ownership of impactful projects.

Role Overview

A Neutral Atom Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) Designer is a specialized research scientist or hardware engineer responsible for designing, building, and optimizing quantum hardware that uses individual neutral atoms as qubits. This leadership role reports directly to the CEO and involves strategizing the data centre strategy with neutral atom QPUs integrated to superconducting QPUs and classical compute.

Core Responsibilities

• Team building and infrastructure setup: build a team of neutral atom QPU designers and establish necessary infrastructure.
• Cross‑functional interaction: lead collaboration with the Superconducting QPU design team to enable integration of the neutral atom quantum computing system with the superconducting QPU in a data centre environment.
• Hardware Design & Implementation: design, prototype, and test experimental setups for trapping, cooling, and manipulating neutral atoms using laser beams (optical tweezers) and vacuum apparatuses.
• Qubit Control: develop high‑fidelity control techniques, such as Rydberg excitation, to enable quantum gates and entanglement between atom qubits.
• System Architecture: develop "error‑tailored" architectures to improve scalability, aiming to scale from hundreds to thousands of physical qubits.
• Error Modeling: conduct experiments to understand, characterize, and mitigate noise and errors (e.g., atom loss, laser noise) in neutral‑atom physical operations.
• Translating Theory to Practice: translate theoretical concepts in quantum computing, such as surface codes, into practical, physical experimental setups.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Education: PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Atomic/Molecular/Optical Physics, or a related field.
• Technical Experience: hands‑on experience building neutral atom experiments, including ultra‑high vacuum systems, lasers, and optics.
• Programming: strong proficiency in Python for hardware control, simulation, and data analysis (e.g., NumPy, SciPy).
• Scientific Contribution: a track record of peer‑reviewed publications or contributions to the field of quantum technology.

Context within Industry

Goal: move neutral atom computing from scientific prototypes to commercial‑grade, fault‑tolerant quantum computers. Collaborate closely with quantum algorithm teams to improve gate fidelity and with software teams to optimize hardware‑level instructions (pulse sequences).