Senior Quantum Algorithms Scientist

About Aqora

Aqora is building the central platform for quantum computing: the hub where quantum research becomes reproducible and the layer through which industry adopts it.

Quantum computing is moving from research toward real-world use, but the work is still scattered across papers, repositories, and provider-specific SDKs. Results are hard to reproduce and hard to move between hardware platforms. Aqora closes that gap. Researchers and developers build, share, and run quantum algorithms in a single Python workspace. They publish algorithms, datasets, and reference implementations to a shared hub. An orchestration layer connects them to hardware and software providers across the stack. Aqora aims to be for quantum what GitHub is for software and Hugging Face is for machine learning.

Founded in 2023, Aqora has closed its seed round with a strategic quantum-focused investor and serves thousands of users. Aqora is headquartered in Paris and is building its presence in the United States.

About the role

As Aqora's Quantum Expert, your immediate focus will be bringing reference implementations of key quantum algorithms to the platform, across the stack and across hardware and software providers. These implementations set the standard for reproducible quantum research on Aqora and form the foundation the community builds on.

In doing this work, you will be Aqora's most demanding internal user. You will see first-hand which tools, integrations, and workflows are missing, and you will help shape and support their development with the engineering team. You will have real freedom to propose the directions Aqora should take and will set them together with the founders. As the company grows, you will also play a central role in building Aqora's quantum team.

Responsibilities:

• Implement published research as reproducible workspaces, reference implementations, and tutorials across Qiskit, Cirq, PennyLane, and TKET.
• Bring your own line of research to Aqora and keep developing it, using the platform to publish and share your work.
• Engage with users to understand their workflows and reduce friction in quantum algorithm development, from initial design to execution on hardware.
• Define, with product and engineering, the features of the hub and its supporting tools.
• Integrate hardware and software providers at different interface levels, from high-level SDKs to circuit and pulse level, and contribute to the design of the orchestration layer.
• Benchmark and validate workloads on emulators and QPUs from multiple providers, and publish the results.
• Review community contributions, provide technical guidance, and identify gaps in the content available on the platform.
• Represent Aqora at conferences and in the research community, and build relationships with research groups and providers.
• Contribute to hiring as the quantum team grows.

Qualifications:

• PhD in quantum computing, quantum information, or related physics with a focus on quantum algorithms and a strong publication record, or equivalent industry research experience (3+ years post-PhD or post-Masters).
• Deep expertise in gate-based quantum computing and quantum algorithms.
• Understanding of the quantum developer and research community and its tooling needs.
• Proficiency in at least two major quantum computing frameworks (Qiskit, Cirq, PennyLane, TKET).
• Strong Python skills, with experience taking algorithms from publication to clean, tested, end-to-end implementations.
• Hands-on experience across the full workflow: circuit design, compilation, error mitigation, simulation, and execution on hardware.
• Solid knowledge of the hardware and software landscape, including provider strengths and how their stacks are exposed.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present to expert audiences and explain complex concepts to non-specialists.
• Based in Paris or willing to relocate.

Compensation

Competitive base salary plus an ESOP grant sized to seniority and stage. Salary bands are defined before each search and applied consistently across candidates.

Working at Aqora

• Paris-based, in an office with a rooftop looking out over Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower. The team works together on-site (hybrid), which matters especially for early hires.
• Senior and self-starting. We work from problems and judgment rather than playbooks.
• Direct feedback and a flat structure. Feedback is shared continuously, not in annual reviews.
• Cross-functional. Engineers understand the commercial context and the commercial team understands the technology.
• Everyone builds the culture. We are a small team, and we expect each person to contribute to how Aqora works and what it becomes.