Photonics Engineer

PSI Quantum; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 139,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage for you and dependents

401(k) with company match

Equity grants

Wellness benefits

Family support programs

Life and disability insurance

Paid leave programs

Company holidays

Discretionary time off

End-of-year shutdown

Job summary

PsiQuantum is building a general-purpose silicon photonic quantum computer to tackle important problems beyond classical computing. We are seeking 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 components. The ideal candidate will have excellent analytical and data analysis skills, proficiency in photonic circuit modeling, and experience with commercial

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Materials Science.
• 5 years of relevant work or academic research in integrated photonics.
• Proficiency in Python for scientific calculations and automation.
• Strong computational and analytic skills in photonic design and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Collaboration with system team on product requirements 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 performance of photonic devices and circuits.
• Design, development, and deployment of software solutions for photonic design and data analysis projects.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams of foundry and testing experts on photonic circuit validation, screening and improvement.

Skills

Python programming

Photonic design

Data analysis

Academic research

Collaboration

Education

PhD in EE/Physics/Materials

Tools

EM simulation software

Python automation tools

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 architectureand approachisbased on silicon photonics. Byleveragingthe 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: photonsdon'tfeel 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,PsiQuantumclosed a$1 billionfunding 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'smost 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 ExecutiveChairman, 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 NiklasZennstrom.

PsiQuantumalso 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, includingAirbus,LockheedMartin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical, to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. Itrepresentsa fundamental shift, and a path to mastering challenges that cannot besolvedany other way. The potential is enormous, and we now havethe funding,the governmentvalidation, andthe sitesunder 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. We are seeking 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 components. The ideal candidate will have excellent analytical and data analysis skills, proficiency in photonic circuit modeling, and experience with commercial electromagnetic simulation packages and photonic optimization techniques. Extensive experience with Python for scientific calculations and automation is required.

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.

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. geographic markets, and we pay based on defined geographic zones. This position may be filled within one of the following U.S. geographic zones, each with its own salary range.

• 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

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)
• 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.