Senior Integrated Photonics Engineer, Active Devices and Circuits at PsiQuantum (Palo Alto)
Job Description
PsiQuantum is hiring a Senior Integrated Photonics Engineer for active devices and circuits in Palo Alto to develop electro-optic phase shifters, switches and modulators for its fault-tolerant quantum computer, owning photonic integration with the foundry engineering and test teams. The level is set by experience, and both PhD/postdoc and industry backgrounds are considered.
At a glance
- Role: Senior Integrated Photonics Engineer, Active Devices and Circuits
- Where: Palo Alto, California, USA
- Pay: US$167,800–197,200 base in the Bay Area; lower ranges in other zones
- Level: PhD with electro-optic device exposure plus 3+ years of industry experience
- Apply: open until filled (re-checked 11 October 2026)
About the active photonics role
- Lead the planning and validation of high-volume tests with foundry and test teams
- Analyse measurement data to understand and improve components and circuits
- Develop new test methods for active photonic components when needed
- Build new automated analysis methods and improve the data-analysis infrastructure
- Contribute to tapeouts: design and simulation of new devices, hands-on layout, design of experiments, and work with packaging and driver-electronics designers
In a photonic quantum computer, every decibel of optical loss and every imperfect component turns into errors, so the quality, consistency and manufacturability of photonic devices matter as much as the architecture. These engineering roles work on that foundation.
What PsiQuantum is looking for
- A PhD with exposure to integrated photonics and electro-optic devices, and 3+ years of industry experience in integrated photonics
- Deep expertise in passive and active integrated devices, especially electro-optic phase shifters and modulators
- Experience coordinating wafer-level tests and data analysis across several teams
- Device modelling with tools such as Ansys Lumerical, and circuit modelling with tools such as Lumerical Interconnect or SAX
- Tapeouts with script-based layout tools (such as GDSFactory or KFactory) and design-for-test methods
- High-speed characterisation (S-parameters, Vπ measurements) and strong data analysis
Pay and location
PsiQuantum lists base pay by location zone, from US$167,800–197,200 in zone 1 (Bay Area and New York City) to US$117,500–138,000 in zone 4 (for example Nashville, Phoenix and many remote locations). The role is listed in Palo Alto, California. PsiQuantum says it is open to adjusting compensation to experience.
How to apply
Apply through the official PsiQuantum job posting. PsiQuantum’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 11 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: PsiQuantum
Official advertisement: www.psiquantum.com
How to prepare for this application
- Modulator trade-offs: be fluent in Vπ·L, bandwidth, insertion loss and power, and how they trade off.
- High-speed measurement: explain how you measure S-parameters and Vπ and what can distort the results.
- Wafer-level test plans: prepare how you would plan a high-volume test with a foundry, including design-for-test structures.
- Circuit models: know how compact models feed circuit simulators such as SAX.
- Data infrastructure: bring an example of analysis tooling you built that others used.
About PsiQuantum
PsiQuantum was founded in 2016 to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum computers. Its architecture is based on silicon photonics, using high-volume semiconductor manufacturing with partners such as GlobalFoundries. In 2024 it announced government-funded projects to build its first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois, and its applications teams work with large companies on commercial use cases.
