Mitacs Intern - Quantum Machine Learning Researcher At 1QBit

1QBit is dedicated to solving the world’s most intractable challenges by recasting problems to harness the power of quantum computing. We identify demanding industry problems and apply breakthroughs in computation to machine intelligence and optimization science to build software that allows applications to continually benefit from advances in both quantum and classical hardware.

We believe that quantum technologies will form the next pillar of computational progress. We research, benchmark, and build software development kits, online platforms, and applications that make the power of quantum computers accessible to researchers, developers, and industry-leading organizations so they can solve their most difficult problems in fields such as optimization, simulation, and machine learning.

As an interdisciplinary team of world-class mathematicians, physicists, engineers, operations research scientists, software developers, quantum computing experts, and business leaders, we share a curiosity and drive to uncover new ways of solving currently intractable problems.

Our work is guided by a shared set of values focused on five fundamental principles:

• Audacity – A drive to pioneer and apply new methods. To dream without limit and then do the hard work of bringing your ideas into reality.
• Open Thinking – A belief in the sharing of ideas. To approach each exploration with a receptive mindset and collaborate openly to produce the best possible results.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration – A respect for the diversity of people, backgrounds, and skills. A wide range of perspectives reveals a more complete landscape and yields deeper insights.
• Ownership – A feeling of pride in the work of the team and a deep sense of purpose and accomplishment from your contribution.
• Beginner’s Mindset – A desire to improve as an expert while retaining the curiosity and openness that inspired you to begin.

Your Role

As a member of our Machine Learning Team, you will be working in collaboration with people from across multiple disciplines. As a Quantum Machine Learning Researcher at 1QBit, you will utilize your background in quantum information and computation, quantum complexity theory, quantum machine learning, and quantum algorithms to address a wide range of the world’s most challenging computational problems. At the core of this role you will have the opportunity to advance quantum AI by investigating, designing, implementing, and analyzing applied quantum–classical algorithms. This is a unique role for someone with a passion for working at the frontier of new technologies. You will work with the world’s most advanced quantum and classical computing hardware architectures to develop new tools and techniques for applications to interface with and leverage new computing processes. You will use your experience in rapid prototyping to implement effective and powerful computational solutions. You will leverage the scale of 1QBit’s proprietary data, designing the applications and classical and quantum computing infrastructure, in conjunction with commercial tools and data sources, to develop powerful computing solutions.

Operating within 1QBit’s Agile team structure, it is largely you who will drive your own schedule and work in collaboration with fellow researchers, industry experts, and software developers. You will use the Scrum methodology to take an ownership role in autonomously managing your work and supporting your team in finishing project Sprints. You will contribute to 1QBit’s continuous improvement through Sprint Retrospectives and by providing input and ideas on every aspect of how our company operates.

Peer feedback and mentorship will allow you to immerse yourself in our team’s thinking from day one and will, in turn, support the development of your own ideas through active, iterative collaboration with teammates on papers, patents, and technical reports. You will also join multidisciplinary teams composed of our own fundamental and applied researchers and software developers, alongside industry researchers, to explore the solution space of open questions in the field of quantum computing. Together, you will consider the fundamental implications of each project throughout the research and software development process.

“Why 1QBit?”, you might ask… Well, as the first company dedicated to the development of quantum computing software, we are defining and transforming how the industry evolves.

If being a pioneer is not enough, you will also have the opportunity to work on some of the world’s most challenging computational problems in the areas of machine learning, optimization, and simulation.

What You’ll Do

As a core researcher in the field of quantum computing, you will participate actively in the following three activities, which constitute a balanced combination of pure research, software development, and client engagement:

• Support the development of a quantum computing software infrastructure project involving a gate model and/or an adiabatic quantum emulator
• Support the core research team in developing new hybrid quantum–classical machine learning algorithms for near-term future quantum hardware
• Support the Machine Learning team in client engagements involving applications of quantum computing in machine learning, to help develop a roadmap of the potential future impacts of quantum computing in machine learning

As part of this role, you will have the opportunity to be one of the pioneering scientists experimenting with cutting-edge quantum computing hardware or simulation frameworks available through our partnerships with leading manufacturers in the field, such as IBM and Rigetti. You will collaborate with a world-class team of quantum scientists, computer scientists, engineers, HPC software developers, and operations research scientists.

What You’ll Bring

Members of our team bring a confluence of personality, skills, and intent that contributes to their individual development and our collective growth as an organization. The knowledge and mindset you will bring to our team includes the following:

• Eligibility for the Mitacs Elevate program (www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/elevate)
• A PhD in quantum computing, the physics of quantum computation and information, quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning, or a related field. A PhD candidate with extensive experience in any of the above may also be considered
• A prominent research track record in one or more of the following fields:
  • Quantum machine learning;
  • Quantum complexity theory;
  • Quantum information science; or
  • Quantum algorithms
  • This is typically demonstrated by your international reputation, research publications, presentations, and external research grants
• Extensive experience in structuring and solving complex problems
• The ability to conduct research in an interdisciplinary environment, as well as independently
• Familiarity with quantum computing software simulation environments
• Familiarity with quantum computing hardware platforms and their stages of development
• Familiarity with data science and machine learning algorithms and tools (e.g., random forest, support vector machines, neural networks, deep learning, scikit-learn, R, MATLAB) is a plus
• Self-motivation and the ability to take initiative and follow through reliably
• A drive to proactively seek out opportunities to help move projects forward and contribute to their improvement
• An openness to soliciting feedback to improve your performance and, in turn, continually providing input to team members to elevate team performance and contribute to 1QBit’s culture
• An eagerness to learn about new trends, tools, and technologies, and to continually consider how these will influence our projects, including the implications and opportunities that they will bring
• A dedication to maintaining team unity success through open communication
• A commitment to challenge the status quo, take smart risks, and be open to possible failure
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with both technical and non-technical team members
• A philosophy of continuous improvement and a passion for knowledge sharing
• Strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage tasks and meet deadlines

Who You Are

You share our belief that principles, not policies, enable individuals and teams to apply their unique lens in making decisions. Like all 1QBit team members, you thrive in our flat hierarchy of empowered individuals. You embrace the rigorous examination of the thoughts and work of diverse minds from multiple disciplines because you know it uncovers deeper insights and produces robust results. You believe there is no failure in exploration because new breakthroughs often require rigorous examination of multiple paths before a conclusion is reached. You have a desire to apply yourself to purposeful work that is inspiring, meaningful, and fun, to create value for the world by advancing the ability to solve complex problems. You have a relentless curiosity for exploring new methodologies and you have an intrinsic drive to architect the foundation of the quantum ecosystem because you love the challenges and understand the rewards that the next paradigm of computation will bring.