College of Science and Engineering
Full-time: 35 hours per week
Fixed-term: for 60 months
The Opportunity:
Prestigious five-year tenure track fellowships focussed on applications of quantum computing to scientific domains.
As part of a £2 billion investment programme from the UK government in Quantum Technologies, the University of Edinburgh is recruiting a cohort of tenure-track Quantum Fellows to deliver cutting-edge interdisciplinary research programmes on scientific and industrial applications of quantum computing. The Quantum Fellows will contribute to the delivery of a £20 million UK government investment in the Quantum Advantage TurboCHarger (QATCH) programme awarded to the Quantum Software Lab (QSL) established at the School of Informatics of the University of Edinburgh.
The Fellows will be recruited as a cohort and supported to achieve their research and leadership ambitions through mentoring and peer support. The Fellows will be expected to co-develop research activities with QSL. Depending on their research profile and planned activities, the Fellows will be hosted in the Schools of Informatics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics or EPCC, where they will be expected to contribute to faculty activities.
Applicants should have a demonstrable track record in research at the intersection of quantum computing and an application domain, with postdoctoral research (or equivalent industry) experience, and the potential to make a key contribution to the University through furthering the goals of the host School, College and University. We're seeking research leaders who balance scientific rigor with pragmatic execution and academic impact.
We expect to appoint Fellows working on applications of quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning or quantum simulation to one or more of the following priority themes:
1. Healthcare and Life Sciences
2. Materials and Manufacturing
3. Finance
4. Energy
5. AI and Data Science
6. Benchmarking and Verification
7. Integration with High Performance Computing
View the full job description
Please identify 2 Schools you would like to be hosted in:
8. Informatics
9. Mathematics
10. Chemistry
11. Physics
12. EPCC
About the Quantum software Lab
QSL works as a “Bell Labs-style" collective of senior faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, innovation fellows, and professional staff focused on shared Mission 1 goals. In collaboration with industry professionals and NQCC’s application engineers, our researchers and scientists are transforming existing computational challenges into research problems that can be tackled using quantum technologies. Our researchers will work alongside government, industry, and academia to develop full-stack solutions tailored to the needs of our economy and society.
The lab’s main research programme, Quantum Advantage Turbo Charger, a.k.a. “QATCH”, is developed to support the National Quantum Computing Centre and the UK’s quantum community in achieving the goals of the National Quantum Technology Missions.
Over the next four years, QATCH will deliver the UK’s first integrated software and verification infrastructure through a coordinated suite of tools. At its core, QATCH operates through a two-dimensional structure linking three research Pillars: (i) Quantum Advantage Engine; (ii) HPC & Fault-Tolerant Architecture; (iii) Performance Evaluation; with six application Sectors in healthcare, materials, cybersecurity, finance, energy, and AI. The Pillars develop methods, systems, and tools, while the Sectors provide data, challenges, and end-user validation. Together they form the QATCH workflow from theory to deployment, where research is verified on national testbeds and benchmarked against measurable sector metrics.
What we offer
We're building a research environment that combines the intellectual freedom of Bell Labs with the urgency and impact of a focused start-up. We offer the opportunity to work on hard, long-term problems that matter—with the autonomy to follow promising directions. We value researchers who can balance scientific rigor with pragmatic execution: people who want to ship real solutions to real problems, energized by turning research into impact. QSL provides a tight-knit team of exceptional researchers, the freedom to publish your work, and the rare opportunity to see your ideas go from concept to demonstration, all within a highly stimulating intellectual environment.
13. A competitive salary.
14. An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
15. To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
16. Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education.
The closing date for applications is 4th May 2026.