Photonics Engineer

PsiQuantum; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage for you and dependents

401(k) with company match

Equity grants

Wellness benefits

Paid leave programs

Company-designated holidays

Job summary

PsiQuantum is building a general-purpose silicon photonic quantum computer, delivering solutions with impact across industries. The team designs photonic circuits, runs data-driven analyses, and develops software for photonic design and performance evaluation.

The role emphasizes collaboration across system, design, and test teams, with a strong emphasis on Python, Mathematica, and data analysis to drive scalable quantum architectures. Competitive compensation applies to multiple U.S. zones.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science.
• 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.

Responsibilities

• Collaboration with system team on product requirement and developing PIC screening plan.
• Data-driven modeling of photonic devices and circuits.
• Design and optimization of multi-component photonic circuits.
• Data analysis to evaluate and understand the performance of photonic devices and circuits.
• Design, development, and deployment of software solutions for diverse photonic design and data analysis projects.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams of foundry and testing experts on photonic circuit validation, screening and improvement.

Skills

Photonic design

Data analysis

Python programming

Communication skills

Collaboration

Mathematica

Education

PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science

Tools

Python

Mathematica

AWS services

SQL

Job description

PsiQuantum's mission is to build the first useful quantum computers: machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised.

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.

That approach has since been tested at the highest level of scrutiny the U.S. government applies to emerging technology, and it has held up.

In 2025, PsiQuantum closed a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $7 billion. In 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce signed a $100 million Letter of Intent under the CHIPS and Science Act, followed by a $125 million agreement with DARPA under Stage C of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, PsiQuantum's most valuable U.S. government agreement to date.

This year, we also broke ground on our utility-scale quantum computer in Brisbane, Australia, and continued building out our Chicago site. Victor Peng, our CEO, and co-founder Jeremy O'Brien, now Executive Chairman, lead a team and board that reflects how seriously the world is taking this build, joined this year by Intel's Lip-Bu Tan and Atomico's Niklas Zennström.

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 Airbus, 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 now have the funding, the government validation, and the sites under construction to make it real.

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 very problems.

Responsibilities

• Collaboration with system team on product requirement and developing PIC screening plan.
• Data-driven modeling of photonic devices and circuits.
• Design and optimization of multi-component photonic circuits.
• Data analysis to evaluate and understand the performance of photonic devices and circuits.
• Design, development, and deployment of software solutions for diverse photonic design and data analysis projects.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams of foundry and testing experts on photonic circuit validation, screening and improvement.

Experience/Qualifications

Education

• PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science.

Experience

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

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Strong computational and analytic skills in photonic design and data analysis.
• In-depth knowledge of photonic devices, including performance metrics and testing techniques
• Proficiency in Python programming for software development and automation.
• Extensive experience with photonic design using commercial software platforms.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across technical and non-technical teams.
• Experience with the following is a plus: Mathematica, AWS services, SQL for data manipulation, parallel computations.

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.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to [e-mail].

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Base pay is one part of the total compensation package. Full-time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Our compensation ranges reflect the cost of labor across multiple U.S. geographicmarkets, and we pay based on defined geographic zones. This position may be filled withinone of the followingU.S. geographic zones, each with its own salary range.

Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's qualifications, relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, business needs, and internal equity. Your recruiter can share more details about the salary range applicable to your location during the hiring process.

• Zone 1 - Bay Area and NYC
• Zone 2 - Examples include Los Angeles and Washington DC
• Zone 3 - Examples include Austin, Chicago, and Sacramento
• Zone 4 - Examples include Nashville and Phoenix/Tempe and many remote locations

This position includes the following benefits: competitive health coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) with company match, equity grants, access to financial wellness tools and planning resources, wellness benefits, family support programs, life and disability insurance, paid leave programs, company-designated paid holidays, discretionary time off (DTO), and an end-of-year company shutdown. Some of these benefits have eligibility requirements and may vary based on location, role, or employment status. Many of these benefits are subsidized or fully paid for by the company.

The estimated annual base salary rangefor this role is:

Zone 1

$139,800—$164,300 USD

Zone 2

$125,900—$147,900 USD

Zone 3

$111,800—$131,400 USD

Zone 4

$97,900—$115,000 USD