Quantum computing devices are rapidly evolving in scale and complexity, yet they remain distant from the idealized concept of a computer. A critical aspect of their advancement involves creating efficient and robust procedures to characterize errors and noise. If you are passionate about the intersection of physics and computer science, and comfortable with mathematical work in a practical context, CWI invites you to apply for a PhD position. You will be researching testing and learning algorithms for fault-tolerant quantum computers as part of the EQUATE ERC starting grant project, under the supervision of Dr. Jonas Helsen.

In this PhD project, you will develop and mathematically analyze innovative methods for extracting information from quantum computers, particularly focusing on testing and learning algorithms and their interactions with quantum error correction.

Possible research directions include (but are not limited to):

• Testing and learning under resource constraints (specifically the “low-magic” setting)
• Testing and learning of QEC relevant properties such as membership of the Clifford hierarchy
• The interaction of (logical) noise with learning algorithms

You will:

• Research fault-tolerant quantum computing, developing new testing and learning algorithms and analyzing their properties.
• Collaborate with colleagues to translate these theoretical algorithms into practical applications, potentially leading to real experiments.
• Publish and present your findings at international conferences and journals.
• Actively participate in the local research groups at CWI and QuSoft.