Principal AMO Physicist, Trapped-Ion Quantum Network Testbed at Nu Quantum, Cambridge (UK)
Job Description
Nu Quantum is looking for a senior experimental AMO physicist to join its trapped-ion testbed. The team is interfacing Nu Quantum’s integrated micro-cavity technology with trapped-ion qubits, benchmarking how efficiently ions emit into photons and how faithfully remote entanglement can be created between trapped-ion nodes. This quantum-network demonstrator is central to the company’s plan to interconnect quantum computers, and you would help push it towards state-of-the-art entanglement rates and fidelities while mentoring other physicists.
At a glance
- Role: Principal AMO Physicist
- Location: Cambridge, UK (on site)
- Contract: Full time, permanent; visa sponsorship available
- Focus: Ion–photon interfaces and remote entanglement between trapped-ion nodes
- Posted: 12 December 2025 (still listed)
- Apply: open until filled (re-checked 14 October 2026)
What you will do
- Design and run remote-entanglement experiments that benchmark ion-trapping devices with Nu Quantum’s integrated micro-cavities
- Mentor AMO physicists and help them grow in depth and independence
- Develop, maintain and troubleshoot lab systems: lasers, RF/DC electronics, control systems and ultra-high vacuum
- Work with software, optical, mechanical and electrical engineers and with theory and simulation teams
- Keep project teams informed, uphold lab safety and documentation, and contribute to technical strategy
What Nu Quantum is looking for
- Technical leadership in a collaborative team delivering complex projects, and a record of managing grants or leading multidisciplinary projects
- A record of scientific communication (papers, talks, conferences)
- Experimental AMO physics, preferably ion trapping, with hands-on optical qubit control, gate optimisation and benchmarking
- A deep understanding of qubit control, atomic physics and atom–phonon interactions
- Expertise in at least two of: sub-kHz laser locking, system automation and real-time control (e.g. ARTIQ)
- A system-level mindset, and willingness to mentor and take ownership of technical direction
Pay and location
Nu Quantum’s posting does not state a salary. Its listed benefits include flexible working, 28 days’ annual leave (including a 3-day company shutdown) plus UK bank holidays, private medical and dental cover, an on-site gym, a cycle scheme and enhanced paid family leave.
How to apply
Apply through the official Nu Quantum job posting. Nu Quantum’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 14 October 2026. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.
See all our quantum technology jobs, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Nu Quantum
Official advertisement: apply.workable.com
How to prepare for this application
- Prepare a talk on an ion-trap or cavity-QED experiment you led, including the fidelities you reached.
- Read about ion–photon entanglement and heralded remote entanglement between trapped-ion nodes.
- Show examples of automation or real-time control you built (ARTIQ or similar).
- Be ready to discuss how you mentor junior physicists.
About Nu Quantum
Nu Quantum is a Cambridge, UK, quantum networking company founded to commercialise a decade of research from the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory. It builds quantum photonic hardware, including qubit–photon interfaces (QPI), quantum networking units (QNU) and cavity systems, to link quantum computers into scalable networks, and runs trapped-ion and neutral-atom testbeds to prove it.
