Quantum Research Opportunities

The Sydney quantum community are after bright minds to work on the next breakthroughs in quantum science and technology.

August 12 2021

Research projects on offer

Our Sydney network of quantum experts are seeking PhD, Honours and Master students to work on various quantum science and technology research projects. Projects suit both experimentalists or theorists and driven individuals with backgrounds across a range of disciplines such as physics, computer science, engineering, chemistry or mathematics.

Our PhD scholarship program offers an array of research projects spanning quantum science and technology across our partner universities. To find a research project, filter projects by university or research specialisation at the PhD level. Please note this list is not exhaustive. You can also use our database to search for experts/supervisors based on their research interests and discuss other opportunities. We recommend contacting a prospective supervisor in advance of applying for our scholarship programs.

How to use the filter - view by university, study level or use the general search field to view by quantum research field e.g. communication, sensing or computing/computation.

Advanced characterisation and error mitigation techniques for quantum devices (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)
Christina Giarmatzi, Behnam Tonekaboni, Industry placement with Infleqtion
This project is part of the ARC Training Centre Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program (FLiQC). Noise is the biggest challenge of quantum computing. Quantum systems are highly sensitive and interact with their environment. For the execution of a quantum algorithm, we need to prepare qubits in a desired quantum state, apply several gates, and finally measure the qubits. This is the standard circuit model of quantum computing and is the most applicable to current quantum devices, such as superconducting qubits and neutral atoms. The environment affects every timestep of these circuits, both independently and in a correlated manner. This means that noise across the different stages of a quantum algorithm is correlated in time, leading to what we call non-Markovian, or correlated, noise. This type of noise is present in most current quantum devices and starts to be a limiting factor in scaling the technology.

Current estimation techniques for the quality of a quantum processor ignore this type of noise because they lack detection and mitigation strategies for correlated noise. This project will address this problem. We have already developed protocols to detect correlated noise and have successfully used them on superconducting qubits at the University of Queensland and on IBM Quantum Cloud devices. During the project, we will optimise correlated-noise detection protocols and create new ones to reduce noise by tuning experimental parameters. The project will be conducted in partnership with Infleqtion, which is developing a quantum computing device using neutral atoms. Unlike superconducting circuits that operate in a solid-state chip environment and are strongly affected by electrical/material noise, neutral atoms are trapped in a vacuum and couple to their environment primarily via residual fields and control light, leading to different dominant noise pathways. We will focus on detecting and mitigating correlated noise in Infleqtion’s system, an area that has not previously been addressed in this way.

For more information, contact the project supervisor: Christina Giarmatzi
This project would suit: The project is ideal for candidates with a strong background and interest in quantum information and developing theoretical tools to advance current quantum technologies.
PhD,
Integrating nuclear spins with quantum dots in silicon with Diraq (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)
Scientia Professor Andrea Morello , Stefanie Tardo, Industry placement with Diraq (Partner Investigator)
This project is part of the ARC Training Centre Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program (FLiQC).

The project seeks to develop a quantum computer device where the nuclear spin of a donor atom in silicon is integrated with a gate-defined quantum dot. This type of device will represent the unit cell of a scalable quantum processor, which combines the exceptional coherence and gate fidelity of nuclear spins with the addressability and manufacturability of semiconductor quantum dots.

The ultimate objective is to build a fault-tolerant, error-corrected silicon quantum computer with local logical encoding in the nuclear spin of donor atoms, and electrons in quantum dots providing medium-range interactions between logical qubits. The project will be conducted in partnership with Diraq Pty. Ltd., which is developing scalable quantum dot devices in silicon.

For more information, contact the project supervisor: Scientia Professor Andrea Morello
This project would suit: This project is ideal for candidates with a strong background and interest in quantum engineering and quantum physics.
PhD,
Quantum algorithms for exact exponential-time combinatorial optimisation with Defence Science and Technology Group (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)
A/Prof Troy Lee, Dr Ben Travaglione, Industry placement with Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG)
This project is part of the ARC Training Centre Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program (FLiQC).

This project investigates exact quantum algorithms for NP-hard combinatorial optimisation problems, with the goal of improving the worst-case exponential running time. A representative target is Maximum Independent Set: given a graph G n vertices, find the largest set of vertices with no edges between them.

The best published classical algorithm for Maximum Independent Set runs in time 1.1996^n (up to polynomial factors), while the best published quantum algorithm achieves expected running time proportional to 1.1488^n, which is an improvement in the base of the exponential base but still far from the kind of square-root quantum speedups seen in unstructured search.

A major open direction is whether one can obtain a super-quadratic quantum speedup for exact, worst-case Maximum Independent Set, or for closely related problems such as Minimum Vertex Cover. The project will explore new quantum algorithmic ideas and analyses–e.g., quantum-accelerated branching/backtracking and or quantum divide and conquer–to push the best known worst-case bounds.

For more information, contact the project supervisor: A/Prof Troy Lee
This project would suit: Students with a strong background in mathematics and/or theoretical computer science, prior quantum computing knowledge is welcome but not required. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Australia Defence Science and Technology Group. Due to project requirements, the position is open only to citizens of AUKUS countries (Australia, United Kingdom, United States)
PhD,

Research projects on offer

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Advanced characterisation and error mitigation techniques for quantum devices (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)

Integrating nuclear spins with quantum dots in silicon with Diraq (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)

Quantum algorithms for exact exponential-time combinatorial optimisation with Defence Science and Technology Group (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)

Research projects on offer

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General search and filters

Filter by University

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Advanced characterisation and error mitigation techniques for quantum devices (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)

Integrating nuclear spins with quantum dots in silicon with Diraq (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)

Quantum algorithms for exact exponential-time combinatorial optimisation with Defence Science and Technology Group (Future Leaders in Quantum Computing Program)