We Asked Experts Their Advice for Getting a Job in Quantum Computing
Compiled by Ryan F. Mandelbaum, Senior Technical Writer, Qiskit
During the past two weeks, thousands of students around the world started their quantum journey by participating in the largest quantum computing summer school yet organized. But once the lessons are over and the assignments are graded, it’s time to start thinking about where you might fit in the quantum computing ecosystem.
Quantum computing isn’t just a hot topic to get a job in — it requires thinking about how you can develop the expertise, abilities, and network in order to make an lasting impact on this nascent field. You can learn about the various quantum job roles available, or start contributing to open-source quantum computing communities like Qiskit. You can consider getting involved with a quantum club or Meetup group, building your own quantum apps, or even trying to build your own quantum computer! Then again, it might be helpful to hear what those already working in the field have to say.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and set a reminder to watch Qiskit Advocate and Ph.D student Amira Abbas on YouTube Live tomorrow at 9:30 ET as she asks some of quantum computing’s foremost experts about what it’s like to have a career in the field, plus tips for those hoping to pursue quantum themselves. A live seminar featuring IBM Fellow Charlie Bennett will follow, reprising his Shannon Lecture “Information is Quantum” on how physics helps explain the nature of information and what can be done with it.
In the meantime, we asked the panelists and other members of the quantum community what their number one piece of advice would be to someone hoping to enter the field of quantum computing.
Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and Vice President of Quantum Computing: “Learn lots of background. No area is off limits, as quantum touches many different things. Getting experience is key.”
Steven Girvin, Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Yale: “Follow your passion while trying to find a good balance between depth of specialized expertise and breadth of knowledge. The field is young and we don’t know where it is going yet.”
Marina Radulaski, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of California, Davis: “Train your interdisciplinary perspective. Quantum computing takes expertise from physics, engineering, computer science and more. Each of these disciplines offers a unique point of view. If you are used to thinking in the time domain, consider how the system looks in the frequency domain. If you usually think at the algorithm level, think about how instructions are physically implemented. Go to seminars in another department, listen to videos explaining concepts outside of your core field, follow diverse experts on social media, and most importantly — keep asking questions.”
John Preskill, Director of the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech and Amazon Scholar: “For the best preparation, get a broad education, covering physical science, computer science, and engineering, so you can understand the full stack from hardware to applications.”
Olivia Lanes, IBM Quantum Research Advocate: “For me personally, I found that social media was the best way to get exposed to the the types of quantum jobs available. From there, you can sort of get a sense as to what background might be required for different types of roles, and you can tailor your education to your interests. I also want to second what everyone else is saying about having a broad background — quantum computing is interdisciplinary and it can be very challenging to see how it all comes together, so it’s important to have that wide perspective.”
Panagiotis Spentzouris, Head of the Quantum Science Program at Fermilab: “We are entering a very exciting era for quantum computing, with quantum computers moving from the academic lab to being deployed and available through the cloud. There are tremendous opportunities for any scientist or engineer starting in this field, covering a broad spectrum from architecture and algorithms all the way to controls, devices, and system integration. At the same time, there is a lot of pressure to demonstrate impactful applications in the short term. My advice to anyone starting now is to balance the needs for long term development to those of quick demonstrators, stay focused on the ultimate goal of delivering an error corrected quantum computer, and, most importantly, enjoy the journey. It is going to be very exciting for the next decade-plus!”
There are plenty of other ways to enter this budding field aside from learning to build and operate a quantum computer, though. Businesses and national labs are looking for computer programmers and others familiar with quantum in order to keep them aware of the latest trends on computation, for example. Plenty of science writers, project managers, analysts, and even entrepreneurs are members of the quantum computing community as well.
Sophia Chen, freelance science writer: “If you’re looking to write about quantum computing, I think the most challenging task is zeroing in on what exactly you want to cover. Quantum computing is a rich and complicated topic, and it’s easy to get lost in the science, hype, and debate. It’s tough writing about a technology that hasn’t fully formed yet. In order to produce compelling text, I try to keep my writing focused on a clear, concise subject. I choose my story subjects based on a combination of what I hear experts discussing and my own intuition. Experts inform me about what the hot topics are at any given moment. But intuition is also important, because for me to write something that others want to read, I need to personally find the subject interesting and actually comprehensible (which is not always the case in QC!). I also choose stories based on whether I can describe them with sensory detail — the size of a physical qubit, the pulsing of microwave signals. With quantum computing so abstract, this type of description helps engage the reader.”
James Weaver, Quantum Developer Advocate, IBM: “First, learn the elegant subset of linear algebra relevant to quantum computing. Refresh on trigonometry, particularly on the unit circle. Then, explore quantum algorithms for near-term quantum devices, their application to real-world problems, and study the underlying quantum concepts. Finally, learn Python and play with Qiskit!”
Nick Farina, CEO, EeroQ: “Network shamelessly. The small size of the quantum computing community means that many seasoned folks are willing to connect with newcomers, and often in a deeper way than other fields. Take advantage of this by succinctly introducing yourself to folks in the field you admire, offer to add value if you can, and ask targeted questions to build relationships over time.”
Natalie Wolchover, Senior Writer/Editor, Quanta Magazine: “My best advice is to start by developing a really solid understanding of quantum computing by reading a lot. One suggestion is the book Quantum Computing Since Democritus by Scott Aaronson, which will give you a deep understanding of computing and information themselves as well as their generalized quantum forms. Another that I found out about recently is a series of interactive essays called Quantum Country by Andy Matuschak and Michael Nielsen. You won’t necessarily want to present or explain quantum computing in the same way that Aaronson or Nielsen do, but working through their excellent writing will help give you the confidence to formulate your own clear explanations, instead of just regurgitating the same misleading or insufficient presentations that are often found in the popular press.”
Lauren Capelluto, Quantum Software Engineer, IBM Research: “As an open source developer, my answer is clearly biased, but my one piece of advice for someone hoping to get into quantum computing would be to make contributions to open source, quantum-related projects. If the team you’re most interested in has an open source project, contributing opens up a dialog to the very developers you’d likely need to win over in an interview. It also benefits you, because you can get a feel for how you like their product, and whether you’d like working with them. It’s also something that is available to anyone — even if you’re not in a quantum research lab with the chance to write papers all day. The variety in quantum open source projects means you’ll be able to find something interesting — quantum applications? Quantum computing primitives? Qubit characterization, validation? optimizing circuit compilers and rewriters? Pulse shaping, dynamical decoupling? It’s all in the open. It’s a way to gain experience while also gaining recognition.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and set a reminder to watch Qiskit Advocate Amira Abbas on YouTube Live tomorrow, July 31, 2020 at 9:30 ET. Panelists will include:
- Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and Vice President, IBM Quantum
- Marina Radulaski, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at UC Davis
- K. Birgitta Whaley, Professor of Chemical Physics and Director, Berkeley Quantum Information and Computation Center, UC Berkeley
- Steve Girvin, Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Yale University
- Monika Schleier-Smith, Associate Professor of Physics at Stanford University
- John Preskill, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech and Allen V.C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair, IQIM
Stay on after the chat to hear from Charlie Bennett on our weekly seminar series at 12 PM EDT!
