Quantum Science Lead

Responsibilities

• Quantum Sensing Lead:
  • Provide scientific leadership for quantum sensing, focusing on practical customer applications and near-to-mid term mission relevance.
  • Identify and prioritize quantum sensing use cases across areas such as precision timing, positioning and navigation, electromagnetic sensing, gravimetry, imaging, RF sensing, inertial sensing, and advanced measurement.
  • Assess the maturity, performance, and deployment readiness of quantum sensing technologies, including sensitivity, stability, size, weight, power, environmental constraints, and integration requirements.
  • Translate quantum sensing advances into customer-relevant concepts, including mission applications, pilot opportunities, demonstrations, and transition strategies.
  • Help shape differentiated offerings around quantum sensing assessment, roadmap development, mission discovery, pilot design, and technology transition.
• Quantum Networking Lead:
  • Provide a technical perspective on quantum networking and quantum communications beyond PQC migration.
  • Track developments in entanglement distribution, quantum repeaters, quantum memories, quantum transduction, distributed quantum sensing, and quantum network testbeds.
  • Assess the maturity, deployment constraints, infrastructure dependencies, standards activity, and realistic adoption timelines for quantum networking technologies.
  • Identify customer use cases where quantum networking may create future value, including secure communications concepts, distributed sensing, time synchronization, and connections between future quantum systems.
  • Partner with the PQC lead to maintain clear swim lanes between cryptographic modernization, QKD-related concepts, quantum-secure communications, and broader quantum networking strategy.
• Quantum Science and Hardware Readiness:
  • Serve as a senior scientific authority within the Quantum Practice, with emphasis on quantum devices, sensing, networking, and hardware readiness.
  • Maintain a focus on monitoring progress across quantum computing hardware modalities and assessing implications for customer missions, adoption timelines, technical risk, and investment decisions.
  • Evaluate emerging quantum hardware architectures, including maturity, scalability, error correction trajectory, operational constraints, and relevance to future customer use cases.
  • Work with the Quantum Algorithm lead to assess how hardware advances may affect algorithm feasibility, benchmarking, and customer-facing roadmaps, while preserving algorithm development as a separate swim lane.
  • Develop technical papers, white papers, briefings, and thought leadership materials that advance Tyto Athene’s quantum capabilities and support customer missions.

Requirements

• PhD in Quantum Physics, Quantum Information Science, Applied Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a closely related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in quantum sensing, quantum networking, quantum information science, quantum devices, or related fields.
• Deep understanding of quantum mechanics, quantum information science, and at least one applied quantum technology domain such as quantum sensing, quantum networking, quantum communications, or quantum hardware systems.
• Strong familiarity with quantum sensing and/or quantum networking technologies, including current maturity, operational constraints, and potential mission applications.
• Working knowledge of quantum computing hardware architectures and the technical factors affecting hardware readiness, scalability, and adoption timelines.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, technical research, patents, or other recognized contributions to the field.
• Ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to both technical and executive audiences.
• Experience leading research initiatives and influencing technical strategy.

Desired Experience

• Prototyping, demonstrating, or transitioning a quantum sensing or networking capability.
• Experience supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, Department of Energy, national laboratory, or federally funded research programs.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams spanning physics, mathematics, software engineering, AI/ML, and systems engineering.
• Patents, publications, or recognized contributions in quantum sensing, quantum networking, quantum communications, quantum devices, measurement science, or quantum hardware systems.
• Experience mentoring scientists, researchers, or engineers and helping bridge theoretical research with practical implementation.