Capabilities Theory Research Scientist

About the job

Introduction

At IBM Research, we are the innovation engine of IBM. Exploring what's next in computing and shaping the technologies the world will rely on tomorrow. From advancing AI and hybrid cloud to pioneering practical quantum computing, we anticipate challenges and unlock new opportunities for clients, partners, and society. Working in Research means joining a team that accelerates discovery at the intersection of high-performance computing, AI, quantum, and cloud. You'l collaborate with leading scientists, engineers, and visionaries to push boundaries and turn ideas into reality. With a culture built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration, IBM Research offers the opportunity to grow your career while contributing to breakthroughs that transform industries and change the world.

Your role and responsibilities

As a Capabilities Theory Research Scientist at IBM Quantum, you will help establish what current and future generations of quantum computers at the physical and logical level can do, identify what limits them, and find ways to get the best performance out of them. You will develop new tools to understand and extend the capabilities of IBM's quantum processors, and demonstrate those tools on hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop new methods for noise modeling, error mitigation and benchmarking, for both physical and error-corrected (logical) qubits.
• Prototype these methods on IBM quantum hardware, and identify the most promising ones to scale up.
• Collaborate closely with theorists, experimental physicists and software engineers across the quantum computing stack.
• Publish and communicate your research both within and outside IBM, demonstrating strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Required education

Doctorate Degree

Preferred education

Doctorate Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

• At least 3 years of relevant research experience in quantum information theory, error mitigation, error correction, or quantum device characterization. Doctoral research experience may be included.
• Proven record of research and accomplishment.
• Programming experience (Python preferred).

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience with noise learning, error mitigation, or quantum error correction.
• Experience running experiments on quantum hardware.
• Experience using AI tools, such as coding agents, to accelerate research.
• Strong publication record in high-impact journals or top conference proceedings.
• Experience with Qiskit or similar quantum software development frameworks.