Senior Research Scientist

Senior Research Scientist – AMO Physics Quantum Computing London basedSponsorship availableAbout the opportunityMetric is working with a well-funded quantum computing company building next-generation hardware for real-world enterprise deployment. The team has already shipped working systems to customers and is now moving into a new phase of platform development, with strong IP behind their approach and a clear path to commercial scale.This is an experimental physics role centred on photon-photon gates realised through atom-mediated interactions. You'll be the one in the lab, trapping atoms, coupling them into optical cavities, and turning early-stage protocols into stable, repeatable demonstrators that can eventually sit inside a production system.Core responsibilitiesBuild and run the experimental setup for trapping and delivering atomic ensembles into optical microcavitiesGet atom-cavity coupling, state prep, and cavity locking working reliably, not just oncePush the nonlinear gate protocols from proof-of-concept toward genuinely strong photon-photon interactionsPartner closely with the research team on system engineering for repeatability and platform fitFeed experimental results back into strategy, what's working, what's risky, where to focus nextPublish, file patents, and represent the science internally and externally as neededWhat you needPhD-level physics background (or equivalent), grounded in AMO and quantum opticsReal hands-on time running cold-atom experiments - laser cooling, MOTs, dipole traps, UHVExperience getting atoms and optical cavities to talk to each other, including locking and laser stabilisationEvidence you can carry an experiment from whiteboard to working hardwareBonus pointsWork with dense, high-optical-depth atomic ensemblesFibre coupling or single-photon detection experienceBuilt your own control/automation/DAQ toolingTaken something from lab bench toward a deployable productAny exposure to photonic quantum computing specificallyIf this sounds like you...apply today.