Internship Project: Quantum Simulation

Job Description

Job Title: 2026 Internship Project: Quantum Simulation. Location: Berkeley, CA or Fremont, CA

Internship within Systems and Services, Benchmarking and App Engineering team; Minimum 3 months during Summer 2026 with flexible start and end dates; Mentors are remote. Interns may work remotely or from the Berkeley office.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a quantum many-body simulation targeting classically intractable problems.
• Co-design experiments optimized for noisy quantum hardware performance.
• Use numerical simulation tools to study crossover regimes where classical emulation becomes inefficient.
• Define performance benchmarks and identify limits imposed by quantum noise.
• Execute experiments on Rigetti quantum processing units.
• Benchmark experimental results against predefined targets.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineering teams to analyze and communicate findings.
• Contribute to high-impact research in an industrial research and development environment.

Qualifications:

• Advanced PhD candidate in physics, quantum information science, or a related field.
• Strong theoretical foundation in quantum many-body systems and quantum dynamics.
• Proven experience with classical numerical simulation methods such as tensor networks or related techniques.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex technical findings to cross-functional teams.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.

Preferred:

• Broader experience in quantum computing and translating many-body problems into gate-based implementations.
• Hands-on experience designing and executing experiments on quantum hardware.
• Familiarity with quantum error mitigation or suppression techniques.
• Experience collaborating with theorists and experimentalists on research milestones.
• Publication record in many-body physics or related quantum fields.

Benefits and Compensation:

• Hourly pay range: 35 to 50 USD per hour.
• Compensation based on academic level:
  • Undergraduate: 35 USD per hour
  • Masters: 45 USD per hour
  • Graduate level: 50 USD per hour
• Housing stipend up to 2,000 USD for candidates relocating for the summer.

Other Information: Rigetti Computing is a full-stack quantum computing company operating quantum systems over the cloud since 2017; The company develops quantum-classical infrastructure and manufactures quantum chips in-house. It serves enterprise, government, and research clients globally.