Quantum Computing Research Scientist at Gopal K. Saxena Centre for Advanced Research (GSCAR)

Location: Bengaluru, India – On-site

Employment Type: Full-time

Qualification: PhD or Master's degree in Physics, Quantum Computing, Quantum Information, Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field, with an excellent academic and/or industrial research record.

About the Role

GSCAR is looking for a Quantum Computing Research Scientist to join its technical R&D; team and contribute to the development of advanced quantum-computing technologies.

The role will involve research and development across both Quantum Algorithms and Quantum Error Correction (QEC), with an emphasis on translating theoretical and computational advances into scalable, practical, and product-oriented solutions.

The candidate will work on quantum-native, quantum-classical hybrid, and quantum-inspired algorithms, as well as quantum error-correcting codes, decoding methods, and fault-tolerant quantum computing.

We are looking for highly motivated researchers who are comfortable working on technically challenging and evolving problems, are undeterred by steep learning curves, and can rapidly acquire expertise across new areas. Candidates should combine strong research ability with a product mindset, focusing not only on scientific novelty but also on scalability, usability, performance, and real-world applicability.

Key Responsibilities

- Research, design, implement, and benchmark quantum-native, quantum-classical hybrid, and quantum-inspired algorithms for optimization, simulation, scientific computing, and other application areas.
- Develop and evaluate algorithms such as variational quantum algorithms, QAOA, VQE, quantum simulation methods, quantum walks, and related techniques.
- Translate real-world computational problems into suitable quantum or quantum-inspired mathematical formulations.
- Research and develop quantum error-correction techniques, including stabilizer codes, surface codes, qLDPC codes, CSS codes, and related code families.
- Develop and evaluate decoding algorithms and study logical error rates, code distance,



fault-tolerance thresholds, and resource requirements.
- Investigate realistic quantum noise models and assess algorithm and QEC performance under hardware constraints.
- Explore new approaches for code construction, decoder design, algorithm improvement, and computational optimization.
- Develop robust simulation and research software using modern scientific-computing and quantum-computing frameworks.
- Benchmark proposed methods against established quantum and classical approaches.
- Translate research prototypes into scalable, reusable, and product-oriented software components.
- Collaborate across research, software, and application teams to identify commercially and scientifically relevant problems.
- Contribute to research publications, patents, technical reports, intellectual property, and product development.

Required Qualifications and Skills

- PhD or Master's degree in Physics, Quantum Computing, Quantum Information, Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
- An excellent academic and/or industrial research record, demonstrated through publications, patents, significant research projects, technical contributions, or equivalent achievements.
- Strong foundation in quantum mechanics, quantum computing, linear algebra, probability, numerical methods, and algorithms.
- Understanding of quantum circuits, variational algorithms, quantum optimization, and quantum simulation.
- Familiarity with quantum error correction concepts such as stabilizer formalism, syndrome measurement, logical qubits, code distance, and fault tolerance.
- Knowledge of surface codes, qLDPC codes, or related quantum error-correcting codes is highly desirable.
- Robust programming skills, preferably in Python,



with experience in scientific computing and numerical simulation.
- Familiarity with frameworks such as Qiskit, Cirq, PennyLane, CUDA-Q, Amazon Braket, Stim, PyMatching, or equivalent tools.
- Ability to independently understand research literature, formulate technical problems, implement solutions, and critically evaluate results.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and scientific communication skills.

Preferred Attributes

- Strong research curiosity and the ability to work across unfamiliar technical domains.
- Willingness to take on problems with a high learning curve and rapidly develop the required expertise.
- Ability to move between theoretical research, numerical simulation, algorithm development, and software implementation.
- A product-oriented mindset, with attention to scalability, performance, reliability, usability, and practical deployment.
- Ability to evaluate whether a research idea can translate into a meaningful technology or product capability.
- Independence, adaptability, and ownership of research and development tasks.
- Interest in working at the intersection of fundamental research and applied quantum technology.

Additional Experience

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be advantageous:

- QAOA, VQE, adaptive variational algorithms, or quantum optimization.
- Tensor networks and quantum-inspired algorithms.
- Quantum simulation and Hamiltonian methods.
- Surface-code or qLDPC decoding.
- Belief propagation, MWPM, Union-Find, or other QEC decoders.
- Fault-tolerant quantum computing and resource estimation.
- High-performance computing, GPU acceleration, or large-scale simulation.
- Optimization, graph algorithms, machine learning, or applied mathematical modelling.
- Development of research software or technology prototypes intended for real-world use.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute across the full research and development cycle – from problem identification and theoretical formulation to implementation, benchmarking, validation, and product-oriented development.

📌 Quantum Computing Research Scientist (Bengaluru)
🏢 Gopal K. Saxena Center for Advanced Research (GSCAR)
📍 Bengaluru