Senior/Principal - Emerging and Advanced Computing Technologies, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 117,500 - 235,700; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking an experienced experimentalist to join the Emerging Computing Hardware team in New Mexico. The role focuses on research in quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, and AI/ML, driving codesigned solutions for advanced computing technologies.

You will contribute to device dynamics, control systems, and innovative experiments, collaborating across government and industry to advance DOE missions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.
• Graduate degree in Physics or related field with independent research.
• Record of publications or presentations at peer-reviewed venues.

Responsibilities

• Develop understanding of device dynamics and architectures using various devices.
• Develop and implement novel control systems and measurements in microelectronic/quantum devices.
• Collaborate with hardware/software vendors to design experimental setups for emerging computing and sensing applications.
• Collaborate with Sandia and external R&D community in QIS and other emerging computing fields.
• Work onsite as required.

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership abilities

Team collaboration

AI/ML experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 5 years

PhD in Physics/Materials Science/EE/Chemistry

Tools

HPC clusters

Job description

Senior/Principal - Emerging and Advanced Computing Technologies, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting‑edge work in a broad array of areas.

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking an experimentalist with a demonstrated publication record or relevant experience to join the Emerging Computing Hardware team. You will contribute to research areas that address meaningful problems and applications in advanced computing technologies such as quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other emerging methods. You will help discover codesigned solutions where materials and integrated systems research is motivated by their ability to enable novel and scalable solutions. You will be part of a broader Advanced Computing program in the DOE National Laboratories complex and will engage with researchers and teams across government and industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop an understanding of device dynamics, small circuits based on those devices, or architectures incorporating a range of devices.
• Develop and implement novel control systems and measurements in microelectronic and/or quantum devices.
• Work with hardware and software vendors to design and implement experimental setups for emerging computing and sensing applications.
• Collaborate within Sandia and across the external R&D community, including academic and industry partners, in Quantum Information Science (QIS) and other emerging computing fields.
• Work onsite as required.

Salary Range

$117,500 – $235,700

Qualifications We Require

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire

• Graduate degree in Physics or a highly related field with an independent research project required (e.g., thesis or dissertation).
• Experience preparing research for dissemination through presentations at national conferences and peer‑reviewed publications in top journals.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities for projects and teams, working in loosely defined areas with minimal direction while maintaining vision for the overall mission.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, and ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience or interest in using artificial‑intelligence/machine‑learning methods and developing approaches to leverage emerging computing techniques (AI/ML, quantum, analog, etc.).
• PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, or a relevant science or engineering field.
• Record of research as demonstrated by publications in peer‑reviewed journals, presentations at scientific conferences, or high‑impact program deliverables.
• Experience working on interdisciplinary teams spanning materials and devices in emerging and advanced computing research such as quantum information systems, sensors, neuromorphic computing, analog computing, edge computing, and related fields.
• Experimental work in time‑domain and spectroscopic measurements such as magnetic resonance, high frequency (>microwave), and IV/CV.
• Experience with developing and running complex science and engineering simulation codes on high‑performance computing clusters.
• Interest in impacting applications and customers in support of DOE missions.

About Our Team

The Emerging Computing Hardware department conducts cutting‑edge experimental solid‑state device research at nanometer and atomic scales, as well as in the quantum mechanical regime, to develop technologies with novel capabilities and performance. Core capabilities include materials synthesis & analysis, solid‑state device fabrication and characterization, low temperature measurements, quantum sensing, and quantum information science and technology. The department leverages strong relationships with the Microsystems Engineering Sciences and Applications (MESA) facility, the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), and the Computer Science Research Institute (CSRI).

Security Clearance

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. The position requires a pre‑employment drug test and a background review. The security clearance process may affect applicants with multiple citizenships.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

MedPEDs

Applicants who have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED) may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs. Those with a MedPED scheduled for an onsite interview may need additional steps for compliance before the interview date.