What are the responsibilities and job description for the Photonics Engineer position at PsiQuantum?
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 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.
In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.
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 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 have a clear path to make it real.
Come join us.
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
Education
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 recruiting@psiquantum.com.
We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.
The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for the Bay Area (within 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto), the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). If there is only one range, it is for the specific location of where the position will be located. Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
U.S. Base Pay Range
$130,000—$145,000 USD
Bay Area Pay Range
$150,000—$170,000 USD
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.
In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.
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 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 have a clear path to make it real.
Come join us.
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 architecht team on system spec 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.
Education
- PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science.
- 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.
- 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.
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 recruiting@psiquantum.com.
We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.
The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for the Bay Area (within 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto), the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). If there is only one range, it is for the specific location of where the position will be located. Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
U.S. Base Pay Range
$130,000—$145,000 USD
Bay Area Pay Range
$150,000—$170,000 USD
Salary : $130,000 - $170,000