Photonics Circuit Designer

PsiQuantum; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

PsiQuantum is seeking a creative and innovative individual for a role focused on building a general-purpose silicon photonic quantum computer. The candidate will push the boundaries of high-performance integrated photonic circuits and must possess strong fundamentals in photonic devices and circuit modeling.

This position requires a PhD in Electrical Engineering or Physics and 5 years of experience in integrated photonics. Responsibilities include modeling, design, simulation, and collaboration across teams to ensure the validation of photonic circuits.

Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.
• In-depth knowledge of photonic devices, including performance metrics and testing techniques.
• Extensive experience with photonic design using commercial software platforms.
• Experience with integrated photonic circuit layout.

Responsibilities

• Data-driven modeling of linear photonic devices.
• Design and optimization of photonic circuits.
• Full simulation of complex photonic circuits.
• Schematic representation of photonic circuits.
• Coordination of photonic circuits layout.
• Collaboration to validate photonic circuits.

Skills

Photonic device and circuit modeling

Electromagnetic simulation packages

Software skills for simulation

Data analysis

Collaboration across teams

Education

PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Python for scientific applications

Job description

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real.

Come join us.

Job Summary

Quantum computing promises to solve many important problems that could never be solved on any conventional computer. At PsiQuantum, we’re building a general-purpose silicon photonic quantum computer to tackle these problems.

We seek a creative and innovative individual with strong fundamentals in photonic devices and circuits. This role focuses on pushing the boundaries of high-performance integrated photonic circuits. The ideal candidate will be proficient in photonic device and circuit modeling and electromagnetic simulation packages, as well as the layout of photonics circuits, and have excellent software skills for simulation, circuit definition, and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Data-driven modeling of linear photonic devices at different scales and with diverse methods.


• Design and optimization of photonic circuits.


• Full simulation of complex photonic circuits, including modeling of photon-pair generation through spontaneous four-wave mixing.


• Schematic representation of photonic circuits.


• Coordination of photonic circuits layout.


• Data analysis to evaluate and understand the performance of photonic devices and circuits.


• Collaboration with component design and circuit characterization teams to ensure the validation of photonic circuits.

Qualifications

• Education: PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics.


• Experience: 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.


• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  
  
  
  • In-depth knowledge of photonic devices, including performance metrics and testing techniques.
  
  
  • Extensive experience with photonic design using commercial software platforms.
  
  
  • Experience with integrated photonic circuit layout.
  
  
  • Extensive experience with Python for scientific applications and data manipulation.
  
  
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across technical and non-technical teams.
  
  
  • Experience using the Wolfram Language is a plus.
  
  
  
  

Equal Employment Opportunity

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Salary and Benefits

The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

U.S. Base Pay Range: $120,000—$145,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range: $140,000—$165,000 USD