Theory / Software · Full-time · Hybrid · Paris, France
Preferred start date: Early January 2027
About Qluster
Qluster is a startup developing continuous-variable photonic quantum computers. By prioritizing architecture-first scalability, our ambition is to turn fundamental research into practical technology for healthcare, chemistry, sustainability and various applications.
We bring together physicists and engineers who value curiosity, initiative, and teamwork. Progress comes from open discussion, constructive challenges, and shared ownership of complex problems. Joining Qluster means helping shape both our core technology and the way we work.
Your role and responsibilities
You will develop the error-correction models and decoding tools that guide the design of Qluster’s photonic quantum computer. Working closely with the CTO, Scientific Advisor, Photonic Quantum Architect and hardware team, you will connect physical noise, code selection and decoder performance to practical architecture requirements.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Evaluate candidate bosonic encodings and their integration with outer quantum error-correcting codes, identifying trade-offs between logical performance, resource requirements and implementation constraints.
- Develop and benchmark decoding algorithms, including approaches that exploit analog measurement information and account for correlated errors where relevant.
- Build physical-to-logical noise models incorporating realistic photonic imperfections, such as optical loss, finite squeezing, imperfect resource states and measurement noise.
- Develop a documented, reproducible simulation toolchain for code comparison, decoder benchmarking and logical error-rate estimation.
- Validate models and implementations against reference cases, quantify statistical uncertainty and assess performance across relevant hardware parameter ranges.
- Assess decoder runtime and computational requirements, supporting efficient design iteration and informing future latency and throughput requirements.
- Translate simulation results into recommendations for hardware performance targets, architecture choices and demonstrator specifications.
- Contribute to technical reports and architecture reviews, communicating assumptions, limitations and trade-offs clearly as the technology develops.
Basic qualifications and experience
- A PhD in physics, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering or a related discipline, or a master’s degree with equivalent relevant research or development experience.
- Solid understanding of quantum error correction, including stabilizer codes, syndrome extraction, logical errors and the principles of fault tolerance.
- Demonstrated experience implementing and evaluating decoding algorithms for classical or quantum error-correcting codes.
- Strong scientific programming skills in Python or a comparable language, with experience developing readable, tested and documented code.
- Experience with numerical simulation, probabilistic modelling and statistical analysis of computational results.
- Ability to work independently on open-ended problems, identify priorities and adapt to evolving technical requirements.
- A collaborative approach, intellectual curiosity and the ability to explain technical findings clearly to colleagues from different disciplines.
- Clear written and spoken English.
Candidates whose main experience is in classical error correction are welcome, provided they can demonstrate the quantum error-correction foundations required for this role.
Preferred qualifications and experience
- Experience with continuous-variable quantum information, bosonic codes—particularly Gottesman–Kitaev–Preskill (GKP) codes—and analog or soft-information decoding.
- Experience with surface or toric codes, quantum LDPC codes, or concatenated error-correction schemes.
- Familiarity with decoding methods such as belief propagation and its variants, ordered-statistics decoding, minimum-weight perfect matching or union-find.
- Knowledge of photonic quantum computing, cluster states and measurement-based quantum computation.
- Experience with QEC simulation and decoding tools such as plaquette from QC Design, Stim or PyMatching, including understanding their modelling assumptions and limitations.
- Experience with performance profiling, parallel computing or compiled languages such as C++.
- Experience collaborating with experimental or hardware teams to translate device characteristics into noise models and engineering requirements.
What we offer
- Compensation: Salary package tailored to your experience and profile.
- Workplace flexibility: Hybrid work organization based in Paris.
- Benefits: Health insurance (50% employer-funded) and 50% public transportation reimbursement.
- Growth potential: As an early-stage startup, our employee benefits and workplace perks will expand and evolve alongside the growth and maturity of the company.
Don’t hesitate to apply if you don’t meet 100% of the criteria. We care deeply about potential, diverse perspectives, and motivation. Tell us what drives you and how you see yourself contributing to Qluster.
We are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and workplace. Should you need any accommodations at any stage, please let us know.