PhD studentship in Quantum Verification and Benchmarking

A fully funded 3.5 year PhD position is available to work on the project titled “Scalable benchmarking for digital quantum computers based on blind testing”. This position is a collaborative studentship between the University of Edinburgh and the National Physics Laboratory. The position will be registered and hosted at the University of Edinburgh and will be jointly supervised by:

• Dr Dominik Leichtle, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Elham Kashefi, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Ivan Rungger, National Physics Laboratory (NPL), Teddington
• Abhishek Agarwal, National Physics Laboratory (NPL), Teddington

This position is funded by the QCi3 Hub. Thus, there will be a requirement to attend periodic project meetings.

This project directly supports QCI3's vision of integrated and interconnected implementations by developing essential benchmarking tools that bridge across all three themes of the Hub. Our approach enhances T2 (Interconnected QC systems) through verification methods for connected networks, supports T1 (Integrated quantum demonstrators) via hardware-agnostic metrics, and enables T3 (Applications) through reliable quantum advantage assessment. The project addresses a crucial gap in the Hub's overarching tools portfolio, complementing existing work on error reduction and verification at scale while providing new methodologies for benchmarking emerging architectures. This project establishes a unique bridge between NQCC and QCI3, connecting scientific expertise to industry-driven testbed development through joint collaboration of NPL, QSL, QCI3, and NQCC teams, enabling engagement with seven industry partners of the testbed.

The project addresses the critical need for reliable, scalable verification and benchmarking schemes in quantum computing. Current challenges in quantum technology adoption stem from the lack of standardized benchmarking methods and the inherent diKiculty in validating quantum devices beyond classical simulation capabilities. Recent breakthroughs by the supervisory team include verification of bounded-error quantum polynomial time (BQP) computations on noisy devices (Leichtle et al., PRX Quantum 2021) and heuristic-free verification-inspired benchmarking (Frank et al., arXiv:2024) using blind testing approaches. The student will develop verification-based benchmarking approaches for digital quantum computers with realistic noise models, leading to metrics devoid of assumptions about noise impacts (e.g., cross-talk or non-Markovian noise in gate fidelities). As shown by the supervisory team, non-Markovian noise can be a dominant source of errors (Agarwal et al., Quant. Sci. Technol. 2024), so that for any verification approach to be useful it needs to go beyond widely employed Markovianity assumptions. This work, directly aligning with NQTP Missions 1 and 2 and NQCC Testbed programme, will tailor the developed benchmarking approaches to error-corrected as well as distributed quantum computers, addressing the need for scalable benchmarks for these architectures. This will also guide hardware design

for such devices and tackle crucial challenges in networked systems and entanglement transmission.

• 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).
• Knowledge in cryptography is desirable.

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 £20,780 per year.
• A generous support package to fund relevant equipment and travel.

Applicants should apply via the University’s admissions portal (EUCLID) and apply for the following programme with a start date of 01 September 2025:

Informatics: LFCS: Theory and Foundations of Computer Science, Databases, Software and Systems Modelling

Applicants should state “Scalable benchmarking for digital quantum computers based on blind testing” and the research supervisor (Dominik Leichtle) in their application and Research Proposal document.

Complete applications submitted by 30 June 2025 will receive full consideration; after that date applications will be considered until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is 01 September 2025 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.

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. 

The University of Edinburgh is constantly ranked among the world’s top universities and is a highly international environment with several centres of excellence. 

Quantum Software Lab (QSL) is hosted at the School of Informatics with cross college activities. QSL in collaboration with the National Quantum Computing Center identifies, develops and validates real-world quantum use cases, transforming classical bottlenecks into quantum-ready problems benchmarked on quantum hardware.