Research Associate

The Opportunity:

The School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh invites applications for a Research Associate.

The post holder will work on the project “Optimal orchestration of heterogeneous quantum computers”.

Quantum computers have reached a level of maturity that allows them to be integrated with traditional High-Performance Computing (HPC) and cloud infrastructure. However, the combination of these computing resources is still new, and there is no comprehensive framework for their interaction. Moreover, quantum computing hardware comes in various modalities, including superconducting hardware, ion-trapped architectures, photonics, and neutral atom platforms. Each modality has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is no definitive preference. Scaling up this engineering task requires making multiple computing devices work together, both quantum and classical. This project aims to design a heterogenous quantum computing architecture that can

• Manage workloads across networks of classical and quantum compute resources,
• Virtualise various quantum modalities to make access more transparent, and
• Optimise workloads respecting realistic hardware conditions.

This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working. The team currently operates a 100%, i.e. 5 days, on-campus working arrangement which has been agreed by the line manager.

Project Summary: 

This project will design a software toolkit which acts as a framework for integrating HPC, cloud infrastructure, and quantum computing hardware. You will work within a project team including Fujitsu, supervised by Prof. Chris Heunen, and work together with another research associate at the University of Edinburgh.

Fujitsu is one of the world-leading IT companies and co-developers of ‘Fugaku’ the 6th most powerful HPC in the world; its Quantum Laboratory released the second domestic superconducting quantum hardware, designed and manufactured with RIKEN, and it develops a full-stack software platform to manage it. 

The Quantum Software Lab at the University of Edinburgh is the leading UK research unit in quantum software, with over 60 researchers. It has unique collaborations with EPCC and NQCC, and is embedded in the EPSRC QCI3 Hub.

Apply Before: 12/12/2025, 23:59

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