PhD in the Ion Quantum Technology Group

PhD studentship on the Construction of the first error corrected quantum computer in the UK (2022)

What you get

• Fully-paid tuition fees for three and a half years.
• A tax-free bursary for living costs for three and a half years. From October 22 this is expected to be £15609 per year
• A support grant for three and a half years of £1,650 per year for travel and conferences.
• Only UK Higher Education “Home Fee” status applicants and EU residents satisfying the three-year residency requirement are eligible.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

A consortium led by Universal Quantum, a University of Sussex spin-out company, has been awarded a £7.5m grant from Innovate UK’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to build a scalable quantum computer that can correct its own errors and apply this technology to high-impact problems in the aerospace industry. You can find more details about this project here. The group at Sussex will modify an existing quantum computer prototype for this purpose in order to verify important working principles of such an error corrected machine and carry out important proof-of-principle demonstrations in collaboration with a number of commercial partners. As part of this studentship, the student will aid with the development of the first error corrected quantum computer in the UK. This includes a variety of task including automation of an ion trap apparatus, demonstration of ion transport operation and quantum gates, modifying the quantum computer control systems culminating in the demonstration of quantum error correction. 

The Ion Quantum Technology Group is one of the world’s leading centres for the implementation of trapped-ion quantum computing and simulation. The group is part of the UK Hub on Quantum Computing and Simulation. The group currently spans 6 Postdoctoral Fellows, 14 PhD students, the Senior Scientist and the Head of Group.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold, or expect to hold, at least a UK upper second class degree (or non-UK equivalent qualification) in Physics, or a closely-related area, or else a lower second class degree followed by a relevant Master's degree.

Only UK Higher Education “Home Fee” status applicants and EU residents satisfying the three-year residency requirement are eligible.

Deadline

11 September 2022 23:45

How to apply

Apply through the University of Sussex on-line system. 

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply/log-into-account

Select the PhD in Physics, with an entry date of September 2022.

In the Finance & Fees section, state that you wish to be considered for studentship no IQT/2021/02

We advise early application as the position will be filled as soon as a suitable applicant can be found.

Due to the high volume of applications received, you may only hear from us if your application is successful.

Contact us

If you have practical questions about the progress of your on-line application or your eligibility, contact Emma Ransley at mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk

For academic questions about the project, contact Prof Winfried Hensinger (Professor of Quantum Technologies), (w.k.hensinger@sussex.ac.uk).

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Some recent media coverage about the group’s work can be found here: The Telegraph, Nature, Financial Times, CGTN documentary, BBC, Sky News Tonight With Dermot Murnaghan, VICE, and Daily Mail