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PsiQuantum

Senior Optical Fibre R&D Engineer

Daresbury, England; Daresbury, United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Senior · 4009 - Exploratory Research
POSTED 8 MAYVERIFIED 1D AGO
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Pay · posted
£64k–77k
mkt median £103k
Open for
182d
since 8 May
H-1B · FY26
19
UK sponsor
Hiring · 30d
91
+8 net · open roles

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

We are seeking an Optical Fibre R&D Engineer with experience in precise optical characterisation, to test, evaluate and apply advanced optical fibres in high-performance optical systems. A central part of the role is designing and carrying out precise, repeatable measurements of fibre properties, interpreting the results, and understanding how they affect system performance.

The role combines experimental fibre characterisation, optical modelling and exploratory subsystem demonstrations. You will work flexibly across different fibre platforms and experimental setups, translating system needs into measurement plans and practical engineering decisions. You will work closely with specialists in optical interfaces and mechanical design, as well as with wider internal teams and external research and development partners.

We welcome candidates with strong experimental R&D experience in fibre optics, guided-wave photonics or related fields, including candidates from research groups and advanced industrial R&D. This is a laboratory-based R&D role focused on measurement, evaluation and system development.

Responsibilities

  • Design and carry out precise, repeatable measurements of optical fibre properties, including relevant loss, modal, dispersion, polarisation, coupling and environmental characteristics.
  • Select and develop appropriate measurement methods, setups and analysis procedures for standard and non-standard fibres.
  • Assess measurement uncertainty, repeatability and limitations; distinguish fibre behaviour from effects introduced by launch conditions, connectors, splices, fixtures or the measurement setup.
  • Analyse and interpret experimental data, using optical modelling and analytical tools where helpful to explain observed behaviour and guide further experiments.
  • Plan and run exploratory experiments and subsystem demonstrations using advanced optical fibre.
  • Adapt experimental methods and setups as fibre designs, system requirements and project priorities develop.
  • Work closely with optical-interface and mechanical-design colleagues to develop practical, well-aligned and stable fibre assemblies and test setups.
Source · PsiQuantumFirst seen 2 Nov1 editsOriginal ↗