Quantum Theorist
Possible
Sponsorship likelihood
This employer issued few or no visas recently
Not disclosed
Salary
Not disclosed by employer
£54,600
Going rate
Skilled Worker going rate
This role likely qualifies for a Skilled Worker visa
SOC 2114 (98% match) is an eligible occupation, with a going rate of £54,600, and Metric is a licensed sponsor. That is our reading of the rules. Whether they issue a Certificate of Sponsorship is still their call.
About the role
Senior Research Scientist - Theory
Quantum Optics & Architectures | Quantum Computing
- London based
- Sponsorship available
About the opportunity
Metric is partnered with a growth-stage quantum computing company building hardware that's already live with enterprise customers. The business is entering its next development phase, backed by a strong IP position and a defined route to commercial scale.
This is a theory-facing role at the heart of how the hardware roadmap gets decided. You'll model and stress-test photonic architectures and light-matter interaction schemes, working out where the real performance ceilings are before anyone commits lab time or budget to them, then staying close enough to the experimental side to know when the models need correcting.
Core responsibilities
- Evaluate candidate quantum architectures and interaction protocols, weighing error, complexity, and scalability trade-offs
- Keep models honest, benchmark against real experimental data and refine component-level design accordingly
- Model both current and future generations of the hardware, working with the applications team to connect component behaviour to computational performance
- Feed findings into the wider research direction through publications, patent input, and internal technical reviews
What you need
- Solid grounding in quantum optics and quantum computing architectures
- Comfortable building and maintaining your own simulation codebases
- Can take a problem from first principles to a usable answer independently, but also plugs into a collaborative team
- PhD-level physics background or equivalent research experience
Bonus points
- Some grasp of atomic physics, light-matter interactions, or the practical constraints of optical hardware
- Experience modelling cavity QED or atom-ensemble light interactions
- A publication, preprint, or patent record in quantum tech
- Genuine interest in sitting between theory and experimental validation, not just one or the other
- Comfortable using AI tooling to speed up research output
If this sounds like you...apply today!
This description is the source posting as it read when we added it. We are not affiliated with Metric, so check their own site for the current details.
Where this offer sits in the market
Physical scientists (SOC 2114) · UK · ONS ASHE 2025 · basic pay · ~11k in sample- Middle half £39,416–~60,008
- Median £49,712
- Going rate £54,600
- Threshold £41,700
- New entrant £38,200–49,100
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Browse more sponsored jobs at MetricAbout sponsorship for this role
Does this job guarantee visa sponsorship?
Not necessarily. Metric holds a sponsor licence, but sponsorship for a specific hire is always the employer's decision. Be upfront in your application that you'll require it.
What salary is needed for this role to be eligible?
The offer must clear both the general threshold and the SOC 2114 going rate of £54,600. New-entrant and shortage discounts can lower it.