Job Description
Grade UE07: £41,064- £48,822 per annum
College of Science & Engineering, School of Informatics
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Fixed Term: 7 months
The Opportunity
The School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh invites applications for a Research Associate.
The post holder will work on the project “Optimal orchestration of heterogeneous quantum computers”.
Quantum computers have reached a level of maturity that allows them to be integrated with traditional High-Performance Computing (HPC) and cloud infrastructure. However, the combination of these computing resources is still new, and there is no comprehensive framework for their interaction. Moreover, quantum computing hardware comes in various modalities, including superconducting hardware, ion-trapped architectures, photonics, and neutral atom platforms. Each modality has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is no definitive preference. Scaling up this engineering task requires making multiple computing devices work together, both quantum and classical. This project aims to design a heterogenous quantum computing architecture that can
- Manage workloads across networks of classical and quantum compute resources,
- Virtualise various quantum modalities to make access more transparent, and
- Optimise workloads respecting realistic hardware conditions.
This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working. The team currently operates a 100%, i.e. 5 days, on-campus working arrangement which has been agreed by the line manager.
Project Summary
This project will design a software toolkit which acts as a framework for integrating HPC, cloud infrastructure, and quantum computing hardware. You will work within a project team including Fujitsu, supervised by Prof. Chris Heunen, and work together with another research associate at the University of Edinburgh.
Fujitsu is one of the world-leading IT companies and co-developers of ‘Fugaku’ the 6th most powerful HPC in the world; its Quantum Laboratory released the second domestic superconducting quantum hardware, designed and manufactured with RIKEN, and it develops a full-stack software platform to manage it.
The Quantum Software Lab at the University of Edinburgh is the leading UK research unit in quantum software, with over 60 researchers. It has unique collaborations with EPCC and NQCC, and is embedded in the EPSRC QCI3 Hub.
The salary for this post is £41,064 to £48,822 per annum.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- Knowledge of quantum computing
- Experience with software development
- Experience with intermediate representations and compilers
- Ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in written form
- Ability to work in an organised way and to a schedule
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Application Information
Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
- A competitive salary
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our
right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is
12th December 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews dates to be confirmed.
About Us
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