Senior Research Scientist
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 – AMO Physics Quantum Computing
- London based
- Sponsorship available
About the opportunity
Metric 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 responsibilities
- Build and run the experimental setup for trapping and delivering atomic ensembles into optical microcavities
- Get atom-cavity coupling, state prep, and cavity locking working reliably, not just once
- Push the nonlinear gate protocols from proof-of-concept toward genuinely strong photon-photon interactions
- Partner closely with the research team on system engineering for repeatability and platform fit
- Feed experimental results back into strategy, what's working, what's risky, where to focus next
- Publish, file patents, and represent the science internally and externally as needed
What you need
- PhD-level physics background (or equivalent), grounded in AMO and quantum optics
- Real hands-on time running cold-atom experiments - laser cooling, MOTs, dipole traps, UHV
- Experience getting atoms and optical cavities to talk to each other, including locking and laser stabilisation
- Evidence you can carry an experiment from whiteboard to working hardware
Bonus points
- Work with dense, high-optical-depth atomic ensembles
- Fibre coupling or single-photon detection experience
- Built your own control/automation/DAQ tooling
- Taken something from lab bench toward a deployable product
- Any exposure to photonic quantum computing specifically
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
Similar sponsored roles
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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.