Are you fascinated by security? Are you willing to take on the challenge of securing the next generation of computer systems and networks? Do you like to work in a team of young researchers? We are seeking a PhD candidate who is interested in interdisciplinary research on side-channel attacks against quantum devices used in quantum networks and beyond.
Quantum technologies are being developed at a fast page. On the one hand, progress on the development of quantum computers poses a serious threat for our security infrastructure, especially for public-key cryptography. On the other hand, quantum components bring novel opportunities since they will be integrated in our networks and could bring novel security functionalities. However, quantum components are mostly experimental, and their security is yet to be studied and assessed in depth. In particular, little is known about their susceptibility against side-channel and physical attacks and, as a direct consequence, we do not know if and which countermeasures can be applied.
This PhD position will study the problem of side channels and physical attacks against quantum devices, understanding the extent to which they could be considered a threat and exploring potential methodologies to counteract and mitigate them. In collaboration with experimental physicists, experiments on real quantum devices are expected to be carried out to assess their robustness.
The PhD position will be within the Theory of Computer Science (TCS) group but will be carried out in close collaboration with the Complex Cyber Infrastructure (CCI) group and the multiscale network (MNS) groups of the Informatics Institute. The position is a part of the Quantum Delta NL Groeifonds project CAT-2, development of a national quantum network and will also involve collaboration with the experimental and theoretical partners of the CAT-2 project.
What are you going to do?
Tasks and responsibilities
You are expected to:
What do you have to offer?
Your experience and profile:
Our offer
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,541 in the first year to € 3,247 in the last year (scale P). UvA additionally offers an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UFO profile PhD Candidate is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.
About us
The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.
The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.
QuSoft is the Dutch research Center for Quantum Software, a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). Its mission is to explore and develop uses of quantum computers and other quantum technologies, for the benefit of society. The researchers at QuSoft develop algorithms, software and applications that exploit the extraordinary power of quantum computers based on their quantum mechanical properties, such as superposition, interference and entanglement. That requires fundamentally different techniques and approaches from those used to develop conventional software.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
Questions
Do you have questions about this vacancy? Or do you want to know more about our organisation? Please contact:
Job Application
If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. Application review will start 1 March 2023, and will stay open until a suitable candidate has been found, even if this is prior to the final date of the application window on 30 April 2023. For full consideration apply on or before 1 March 2023. You can apply online via the button below.
Applications should include the following information (all files including your CV should be submitted in one single pdf file):
Please make sure to provide ALL requested documents mentioned above.
You can use the CV field to upload all the requested documents (including CV and motivation letter) as one single pdf file.
Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered. Please don’t send any applications by email.
We will invite potential candidates for interviews.
Are you a eager to build state-of-the-art experiments and use them to explore quantum physics in a lively, international group?
Our Strontium Quantum Gases Group is looking for ambitious PhD students who want to participate in exciting quantum simulation, sensing and computing experiments. This group is headed by Prof. Florian Schreck and is part of the Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI) cluster at the Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and also hosts the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. We use ultracold Sr gases for quantum sensing, to study many-body quantum physics and for quantum computing. We have three open PhD positions, one each on the research projects described below. For more information about the projects take a look at our website or contact Florian Schreck.
What are you going to do?
Project 1: Continuous atom laser
In this project you will build the first continuous atom laser. An atom laser is a beam of atoms that is described by a coherent matter wave. So far only short atom laser pulses have been created by outcoupling a beam of atoms from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The laser stops working when all atoms of the BEC have been outcoupled, requiring the creation of a new BEC for the next atom laser pulse. BEC creation is usually a lengthy process, requiring several cooling stages to be executed one after the other in time. We have built a machine that can execute these stages one after the other in space, enabling us to Bose-Einstein condense continuously [1]. This allows us to create a BEC that lasts as long as we want. It’s the atomic equivalent of an optical laser with perfectly reflective cavity mirrors. Your goal will be to take the next step and outcouple the first continuous atom laser beam from the BEC. Such a beam would be an ideal source for continuous atom interferometry [2]. A second goal of the project is to create interesting driven-dissipative quantum systems and study their properties.
Project 2: Sr optical clocks
In this project you will build an optical clock based on continuous readout of the Sr clock transition. The clock will exploit our continuous ultracold Sr source technology [1] to prepare large samples of ultracold atoms without losing track of time while preparing those samples. This will enable to reach high clock precision after short averaging times, which is important to improve clock stability and for many clock applications. We are pursuing two approaches to achieve this goal: superradiant lasing and zero-deadtime clocks and you could join either one of these research efforts. You will be involved in every aspect of building your clock, from electronics, over lasers, optics, frequency combs, ultrastable resonators to vacuum chambers. Once the clock is operational you will use it to collaborate with other research teams, comparing zero-deadtime and superradiant clocks, enabling precise qubit operations in our quantum computer (project 3), or studying fundamental physics with precision spectroscopy (with our colleagues at the Free University). For the latter you will participate in setting up a frequency link through telecom fibres to the Free University in Amsterdam and to the Eindhoven University of Technology. This project is part of the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed, which will give you many opportunities to work with industry, in particular to design photonic circuits for optical clocks.
Project 3: Quantum simulation and computing with Rydberg coupled single Sr atoms
Quantum computers and simulators can solve problems that are utterly out of reach for traditional computers. We are building two quantum computers/simulators based on arrays of strontium atoms held in optical tweezers [4], one in our lab and one at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Quantum bits are encoded in the internal states of these atoms and quantum calculations are carried out by shining laser beams onto the atoms in a well-orchestrated way. Quantum computers based on neutral atoms profit from the fact that the atoms are naturally identical and that it is quite easy to scale the computer to hundreds of quantum bits. Our quantum computer is based on strontium atoms, an alkaline-earth element that is also commonly used to build some of the best clocks in the world. Exploiting the clock built in project 2 and supported by QuantumDelta NL and the Quantum Software Consortium we are building quantum computers that can demonstrate algorithms developed by QuSoft or solve quantum chemistry problems. In Amsterdam we can currently trap strontium atoms in an array of 49 tweezers [5]. You will extend this machine with the lasers necessary to implement one- and two-qubit gates and perform quantum simulations and computations with it.
References
Tasks and responsibilities:
What do you have to offer?
You hold a MSc. (or equivalent) in physics, have done an experimental master project (or equivalent) in an optical, atomic or molecular physics lab. Other skills and documents that would benefit your application are
To foster diversity in our research group, we will especially appreciate applications from groups underrepresented in science.
Our offer
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,541 to € 3,247 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable. For project 1 only: In addition will receive a mobility allowance to cover personal households. relocation and travel expenses.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
a complete educational program for PhD students;
multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
partly paid parental leave;
the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.
About us
The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.
The Institute of Physics is situated in new, purpose-built laboratory and teaching space in the building of the Faculty of Science in the Science Park Amsterdam. This location also plays host to numerous national research institutes such as AMOLF (nanophotonics, biomolecular systems, photovoltaics), NIKHEF (Subatomic Physics) and CWI (mathematics and Computer Science), as well as ARCNL (Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography, which combines the leading Dutch tech firm ASML with both Amsterdam universities and AMOLF) and the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:
Job application
If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. Please submit your application apply online via the button below and by email to schreck@uva.nl. We encourage applications at any time, as we continually open more PhD positions for the foreseeable future.
Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):
The first interview will usually be held within a few weeks of the reception of an application from a suitable applicant.
Are you a eager to push optical atomic clocks and atom interferometers to new levels in a lively, international research group?
Our Strontium Quantum Gases Group is looking for a postdoc who wants to take part in leading the new Quantum Delta NL (QDNL) Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. This group is headed by Prof. Florian Schreck and is part of the Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI) cluster at the Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). We exploit ultracold Sr gases for quantum sensing, the study of many-body physics and for quantum computing. We are collaborating with industry, startups and users to bring optical clocks to the market and explore new ways to build sensors, such as superradiant clocks or atom interferometers based on continuous atom lasers.
What are you going to do?
You are given the opportunity to take a leading role in the establishment and running of the QDNL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. This testbed focuses on following activities, in close collaboration with all research projects in our group (see www.strontiumBEC.com).
You are invited to join our team of eight PhDs and postdocs working on ultracold quantum sensing. You are expected to be strongly involved in all activities of our testbed that involve external partners. You are invited to participate in all other activities of the testbed. Together with you, we will determine which topics are the most suitable for you to start on. The maximum duration of this position is four years and during that time you can get involved in several of our topics or even start new activities aligned with the mission of the testbed. For this position it is not required to teach, but if you are interested in advancing your teaching skills teaching opportunities can be arranged. Similarly, you are supported if you want to apply for your own funding for research in our group or your own research at another institution after you finish your employment at UvA.
Tasks and responsibilities:
What do you have to offer?
You are enthusiastic about experimental quantum physics and a good team worker. You take pride in designing and building complex research instruments. You love pushing into the unknown and reaching for results well beyond the state-of-the-art. You are open to collaboration with people of different background, e.g. industry engineers.
Your experience and profile:
Our offer
We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for an initial period of 1 year. Based on performance the contract can be extended to a total of two to four years. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,960 to € 4,670 (scale 10). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile researcher is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.
About us
University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.
The Institute of Physics is situated in new, purpose-built laboratory and teaching space in the building of the Faculty of Science in the Science Park Amsterdam. This location also plays host to numerous national research institutes such as AMOLF (nanophotonics, biomolecular systems, photovoltaics), NIKHEF (Subatomic Physics) and CWI (mathematics and Computer Science), as well as ARCNL (Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography, which combines the leading Dutch tech firm ASML with both Amsterdam universities and AMOLF) and the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at University of Amsterdam. Any questions? Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:
Florian Schreck, schreck@uva.nl
Job application
If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. Please submit your application apply online via the button below and by email to schreck@uva.nl. We accept applications until and including 31 July 2023. We will likely have other postdoc positions opening after that date. Send Florian Schreck an email to find out (schreck@uva.nl).
Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):
a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
The first interview will usually be held within a few weeks of the reception of an application from a suitable applicant by email.
Are you a eager to push optical atomic clocks and atom interferometers to new levels in a lively, international research group?
Our Strontium Quantum Gases Group is looking for a postdoc who wants to take part in leading the new Quantum Delta NL (QDNL) Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. This group is headed by Prof. Florian Schreck and is part of the Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI) cluster at the Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). We exploit ultracold Sr gases for quantum sensing, the study of many-body physics and for quantum computing. We are collaborating with industry, startups and users to bring optical clocks to the market and explore new ways to build sensors, such as superradiant clocks or atom interferometers based on continuous atom lasers.
What are you going to do?
Tasks and responsibilities:
You are expected to:
What do you have to offer?
You are enthusiastic about experimental quantum physics and a good team worker. You take pride in designing and building complex research instruments. You love pushing into the unknown and reaching for results well beyond the state-of-the-art. You are open to collaboration with people of different background, e.g. industry engineers.
Your experience and profile:
We are looking for a candidate with:
Our offer
We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 12 months. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. If we assess your performance positive, your contract will be extended with 24 months.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,960 to € 4,670 (scale 10). UvA additionally offers an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.
About us
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the Netherlands’ largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.
The Faculty of Science (FNWI) has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.
The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.
The Theory of Computer Science (TCS) group does research on the theoretical foundations of computer science. The aim is to seek greater understanding of fundamental computational techniques and their inherent limitations. You will be joining a growing and vibrant team of colleagues in Amsterdam all working in theoretical computer science from various UvA institutes such as IvI, the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC), the Mathematics Institute (KdVI), but also the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) and the Vrije Universiteit (VU). See here for an overview.
QuSoft is the Dutch research Center for Quantum Software, a collaboration between the UvA and CWI. Its mission is to explore and develop uses of quantum computers and other quantum technologies, for the benefit of society. The researchers at QuSoft develop algorithms, software and applications that exploit the extraordinary power of quantum computers based on their quantum mechanical properties, such as superposition, interference and entanglement. That requires fundamentally different techniques and approaches from those used to develop conventional software.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:
Job application
If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below.
Application review will start 1 August 2023, and will stay open until a suitable candidate has been found, even if this is prior to the final date of the application window on 1 October 2023. For full consideration apply on or before 1 August 2023.
Applications should include the following information (all files including CV and cover letter should be submitted in one single pdf file):
Please make sure to provide ALL requested documents mentioned above.
QuSoft Staff is supervising several master projects: we are always looking for new master students!
These projects are announced on the → CWI website ←.
QuSoft is the Dutch research center for quantum software & technology. Launched by CWI and UvA in December 2015, QuSoft builds on the institutions’ excellent track record in quantum computing and quantum information.
Science Park 123
1098 XG Amsterdam
the Netherlands
T: +31 (0)20 592 4032
E: info@qusoft.org