PhD Studentship in Quantum Error Correction for Superconducting Qubit Hardware

The University of Edinburgh

A fully funded four-year PhD position is available to work on the project titled “Fault-Tolerant Architectures for Superconducting Qubit Quantum Computers”. This position is a collaborative studentship between the University of Edinburgh and the National Quantum Computing Centre (www.nqcc.ac.uk). The position will be registered and hosted at the University of Edinburgh and will be jointly supervised by:

• Dr Joschka Roffe, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Stergios Koutsioumpas, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Vivek Chidambaram, National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), Harwell, Oxfordshire
• Dr Aneirin Baker, National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), Harwell, Oxfordshire

Over the course of the studentship the student will be offered a minimum of three months to work at the NQCC to apply their research within the national labs framework.

This position is part of an annual NQCC cohort of 6 collaborative studentships, in which the projects have been co-developed by the NQCC and different academic institutes across the UK. The scheme will include cohort-based training and activities, enabling students to gain wider skills and develop valuable personal and professional networks.

Candidate’s profile

• Knowledge of quantum computing and an understanding of challenges of building large-scale systems
• Programming skills in Python
• A good Bachelor’s Hons degree (2.1 or above or international equivalent) and/or Master’s degree in a relevant subject (physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, or related subject)
• Proficiency in English (both oral and written)
• Programming skills in C/C++, Rust or other relevant low-level languages is desirable.
• Experience programming GPUs, FPGAs, ASICs or other specialised hardware is desirable

Studentship and eligibility

The studentship covers:

• Full time PhD tuition fees for a student with a Home fee status (£5,006* per annum)
• A tax free stipend of £24,780 per year
• A generous support package to fund relevant equipment and travel

*Rates are for 25/26 as 26/27 rates not yet confirmed

Application Information

Applicants should apply via the University’s admissions portal (EUCLID) for the PhD programme of the LFCS group in the School of Informatics*:* study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/postgraduate-research/493-informatics-lfcs-theory-and-foundations-of-computer-science with a start date of 01 September 2026.

Applicants should state “UoE/NQCC Fault-Tolerant Architectures for Superconducting Qubit Quantum Computers” and the research supervisor (Joschka Roffe) in their application and Research Proposal document.

Complete applications submitted by 31st January will receive full consideration; after that date applications will be considered until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is 1st September 2026 but later start dates can be considered.

Applicants must submit:

• All degree transcripts and certificates (and certified translations if applicable)
• Evidence of English Language capability (where applicable)
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages)
• A full CV and cover letter describing your background, suitability for the PhD, and research interests (max 2 pages)
• Two references (note that it the applicant’s responsibility to ensure reference letters are received before the deadline)

Only complete applications (i.e. those that are not missing the above documentation) will progress forward to Academic Selectors for further consideration.

Environment

The School of Informatics is one of the largest in Europe and currently the top Informatics institute in the UK for research power, with 40% of its research outputs considered world-leading (top grade), and almost 50% considered top grade for societal impact.

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