Posting Title
Graduate Summer Intern - Quantum Computing Readiness
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Location
CO - Golden
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Position Type
Intern (Fixed Term)
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Hours Per Week
40
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Working at NREL
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.
NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.
Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.
Job Description
The Complex Systems Simulation and Optimization Group in the NREL Computational Science Center has an opening for a full-time summer intern with a background in quantum computing and quantum information to enable the evaluation of quantum computing architectures, hardware and software and ensure the readiness of NREL to rapidly take advantage of emerging technology that can be applied to NREL’s mission. The ideal candidate will have a background in physics, mathematics, or computer science and will have hands-on experience in constructing and running NISQ algorithms on either emulated or real quantum hardware.
The primary aim of this internship is in surveying the evolving field of current quantum computation benchmarks for noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) processors and identification of metrics relevant to NREL’s quantum computation readiness mission. Additionally, this role may involve instantiating and prototyping hardware-aware algorithmic techniques to further understand the nature of NISQ-era benchmarks and their relevance within an applications-based evaluation of quantum computation.
Three principal areas are currently being investigated including error mitigation on NISQ processors, stochastic optimization problems that arise in energy systems, and quantum materials simulation. We are looking for a dynamic, motivated researcher with a strong technical background and interest in the mission of NREL. The successful candidate will collaborate with partners including NREL staff and researchers, other national laboratory staff, university researchers, and corporate partners to identify, configure, design, implement and execute quantum computing benchmarks that contribute to the advancement of our knowledge regarding the above areas.
Job duties and responsibilities of the position include:
- Benchmark Evaluation: Assess the utility of current quantum benchmarks and estimate the impact of system-level fidelity metrics as they apply to holistic application-level benchmarks.
- Benchmark Collaboration: Collaborate with NREL staff and partners on the development and execution of benchmarks to understand the readiness of quantum computing for NREL mission especially in the areas of stochastic optimization and quantum material simulation.
- Resource translation: Evaluate the time and space complexity of quantum algorithms in the presence and absence of noise in comparison to classical resources.
- Community development: Engage with and educate the clean energy research community through consultations, meetups, and groups to identify opportunities for quantum computing to accelerate research.
- Publications and presentations: Author, present and assist in the preparation of technical papers, reports, and conference proceedings on the above topics.
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Basic Qualifications
Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a Bachelor's, Master's or PhD degree program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution. Candidates who have earned a degree may work for a period not to exceed 12 months. Must have a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Please Note:
•You will need to upload official or unofficial school transcripts as part of the application process.
•If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process.
* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
Additional Required Qualifications
- Thorough facility with the linear algebra underlying quantum computing solutions.
- Knowledge of "standard" quantum computing algorithms such as QAOA and VQE and “standard” benchmarks such as Quantum Volume and Q-Score.
- Experience with programming quantum circuits on NISQ APIs, from mathematical formulation to running jobs on real and/or emulated quantum computers.
- Strong writing, interpersonal, and communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience and supporting background in constructing and running NISQ-benchmarks on either emulated or real quantum hardware.
- Background including computer science, computational complexity theory, and/or quantum engineering.
- Experience with running quantum benchmarks on real or emulated hardware.
- An interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies; wind, solar, vehicles, biomass, hydrogen, buildings, and electric grid technologies.
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Job Application Submission Window
The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.
Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Graduate III / Annual Salary Range: $42,700 - $68,300
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; and sick leave (where required by law). NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Internships projected to be less than 20 hours per week are not eligible for medical, dental, or vision benefits.
* Based on eligibility rules
Drug Free Workplace
NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Submission Guidelines
Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.
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EEO Policy
NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.
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