Quantum AI Optimization Research Intern

IBM; Town of Yorktown (NY); On-site; USD 89,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Research in Yorktown Heights is seeking a hands-on research intern to design, analyze, and benchmark quantum and hybrid quantum-classical algorithms for optimization and scientific computing. You will work with IBM Research scientists to explore AI-enabled algorithm discovery and quantum-centric supercomputing on real hardware and simulators.

The role emphasizes rigorous experimentation, reproducible code, and potential publication or open-source contributions.

Qualifications

• Quantum computing knowledge with practical experience in implementing and running circuits (Qiskit).
• Strong mathematical and algorithmic foundations: linear algebra, probability, discrete math, algorithm design.
• Proficiency in Python and scientific libraries (NumPy, SciPy) with reproducible experiments.
• Demonstrated research ability: framing problems, designing experiments, communicating results.
• Depth in optimization, data-driven optimization, machine learning, or quantum optimization.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and analyze quantum, classical, and hybrid quantum-classical optimization algorithms.
• Develop and benchmark quantum optimization approaches on IBM quantum hardware and simulators.
• Contribute to quantum-centric workflows and resource estimation analyses.
• Establish performance baselines against classical solvers and document results.
• Explore AI and agentic systems to accelerate algorithm discovery and workflow orchestration.
• Implement research prototypes in Python (Qiskit ecosystem) with clean, reproducible code.
• Present results in meetings and contribute to reports and open-source projects.

Skills

Quantum computing

Mathematical foundations

Python programming

Research ability

Optimization / ML concepts

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Tools

Qiskit

JuMP

Pyomo

CVXPY

DOcplex

CPLEX

Gurobi

MOSEK

SCIP

OR-Tools

Job description

IBM Research in Yorktown Heights is seeking a hands-on research intern to design, analyze, and benchmark quantum and hybrid quantum-classical algorithms for optimization and scientific computing. You will work with IBM Research scientists to explore AI-enabled algorithm discovery and quantum-centric supercomputing on real hardware and simulators.

The role emphasizes rigorous experimentation, reproducible code, and potential publication or open-source contributions.