Quantum Sensing Intern

The Leidos Innovation Center (LInC) Quantum Incubator has an opening for a Quantum Sensing Intern with a background in quantum technologies and sensing. This is an exciting opportunity to use your experience to help grow the Leidos quantum technologies portfolio of contract and internal R&D projects, benchmarking, and operational prototypes.  In this position, the intern will participate in the full life cycle of research & development of optical systems for the study of quantum-enabled sensing. Ideal candidates should be interested in a career devoted to applied research and development with strong experimental, hardware skills and should be interested in maturing technologies from concept to prototype.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, build, characterize, and analyze cutting edge devices in quantum photonics, sensing, and precision positioning, navigation, and timing
• Design software to create high-fidelity simulation of quantum sensing experiments.
• Perform laboratory and field tests to prove and validate quantum experimental theories as viable products in applicable domains, and benchmark results within the field
• Collaborate with other team members, engineers, and scientists across the company and different fields to leverage quantum technologies to achieve organizational goals

Basic Qualifications

• Pursuing Bachelor’s degree or graduate degree in physics, applied physics, engineering, or related fields
• Research experience and experimental background in one or more of the following areas: quantum optics, chip integrated photonics, quantum entanglement, photonics, quantum sensing, quantum information science
• Familiarity with optics lab design, set up, and operation and photonic chip characterization
• Working understanding of optical trapping and atomic vapor sensors
• Experience developing innovative solutions based upon the application of relevant research results from a wide variety of sources
• Experience building and benchmarking hardware and software prototypes, to include metrics development, and theoretical/analytical/computational skills
• Strong technical writing skills with experience in writing advanced technical proposals.
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a US government security clearance
• Strong desire to learn new technologies and flexibility to change from one project to another quickly
• Experience with standard programming languages for analytics or scientific applications, such as Python
• Ability to effectively communicate to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Highly motivated to publish in peer-reviewed journals and present research at conferences

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience researching quantum sensing in atomic vapor systems and with optical trapping experiments
• Background in management and execution of foundry and cleanroom processes, understanding of process flow, and simulations to inform foundry processes
• Experience and domain knowledge related to data processing
• Interest and experience in quantum communications and quantum networks
• Demonstrated experience in proposing and winning independent research funding
• Electronics and computer automation of laboratory experiments
• Experience with big data applications, data science, or data analytics methods and tools
• DoD Top Secret Clearance