Senior Applied Scientist, QEC SW, MQS Center for Quantum Computing

Amazon Web Services (AWS); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is seeking a Senior Applied Scientist to join the MQS Center for Quantum Computing. You will work with the Software team on developing a fault-tolerant quantum control system and contribute to real‑time error detection and control software.

The role emphasizes collaboration with researchers, mentorship, and open-source contributions to advance quantum computing capabilities at scale in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s degree with 6+ years of applied research experience.
• Experience collaborating with scientists in a research environment.
• Experience with quantum error correction and quantum control systems.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the software/gateware runtime for the next-generation quantum control system.
• Build emulation tooling to explore control systems requirements for real-time quantum error detection and correction.
• Make informed engineering tradeoffs to guide the control hardware/software roadmap.

Skills

Quantum error correction

Quantum control systems

Software development

Open-source software

Team collaboration

Education

PhD

Master's degree + 6+ years experience

Tools

AWS tools & services

GPU-accelerated decoding for QEC

Job description

Description

The Models, Quantum, and Silicon (MQS) Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) is a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians, on a mission to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer.

Description

The Models, Quantum, and Silicon (MQS) Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) is a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians, on a mission to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer. We are looking to hire a Senior Applied Scientist to join our growing Software team. You’ll work closely with our partners on the control hardware development and quantum error correction theory teams to build a quantum control system capable of supporting the next generation of fault-tolerant workloads This requires someone who (1) has a strong desire to work within a team of scientists and engineers, and (2) demonstrates ownership in initiating and driving projects to completion.

Inclusive Team Culture

Here at Amazon, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.

Diverse Experiences

Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.

Mentorship & Career Growth

We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.

Work/Life Balance

We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.

Export Control Requirement

Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be either a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be able to obtain a US export license. If you are unsure if you meet these requirements, please apply and Amazon will review your application for eligibility.

Key job responsibilities

• Contribute to the software/gateware runtime for our next-generation quantum control system
• Build emulation tooling to enable exploring the requirements space of control systems for real-time quantum error detection and correction
• Make opinionated decisions about engineering tradeoffs to inform our control hardware/software roadmap
• Demonstrate thought leadership in FTQC by releasing open-source software and publishing research
• Empower other scientists to actively contribute to the codebase through mentorship and documentation

We are looking for candidates with strong engineering principles, a bias for action, superior problem-solving, and excellent communication skills. Working effectively within a team environment is essential.

A day in the life

The majority of your time will be spent on projects that extend the functional capabilities or performance of our internal control stack. This requires working backwards from the needs of our science staff in the context of our larger experimental roadmap. You will translate science and software requirements into design proposals balancing implementation complexity against time-to-delivery. Once a design proposal has been reviewed and accepted, you’ll drive implementation and coordinate with internal stakeholders to ensure a smooth roll out. Because many high-level experimental goals have cross-cutting requirements, you’ll often work closely with other engineers or scientists or on the team.

About The Team

You will be joining the Software group within the MQS Center of Quantum Computing. Our team is comprised of scientists and software engineers who are building scalable software that enables quantum computing technologies.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD, or Master's degree and 6+ years of applied research experience
• Experience working with scientists in a research environment
• Experience with quantum error correction and quantum control systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AWS tools and services
• Experience with the broader quantum computing software stack
• Experience with GPU-accelerated decoding for QEC
• Track record of releasing open-source software