Postdoctoral Research Associate in Satellite Quantum Communication

Role: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Satellite Quantum Communication

Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £42,254 per annum

FTE and working pattern: 1 FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday - Friday

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role

The Edinburgh Mostly Quantum Lab seeks a talented and motivated scientist for carrying out experiments and field tests for entanglement-based quantum communication with satellites via the Quantum Communications Hub’s optical ground station (HOGS) located on Heriot-Watt campus. The primary goals of the project are to:

• Develop rugged high-quality entangled photon sources for satellite uplink scenarios
• Develop uplink infrastructure for the Hub Optical Ground Station telescope on Heriot-Watt campus
• Conduct field tests and international quantum key distribution via HOGS to the Canadian QEYSSat satellite mission

The project is expected to lead to technological progress and high-impact scientific publications in quantum light source development and intercontinental satellite quantum communication.  The work will be conducted in the framework of a recently funded 3-year EPSRC project. It will be carried out under the supervision of Prof Alessandro Fedrizzi, who is the principal investigator of the project, and co-supervision by Dr Ross Donaldson.

For more information, please send enquiry emails to Prof Alessandro Fedrizzi (a.fedrizzi@hw.ac.uk).

The application requires a CV and a cover letter explaining the motivation/interest in this project to be submitted through the university portal. Candidates are invited to specifically highlight in their applications how they fulfil the essential criteria for the post, listed below. 

We especially encourage applications from women and other underrepresented groups in Physics.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

The post holder is required to:

1. Develop a modular high-brightness entangled photon source compatible with the HOGS satellite quantum communication facility.
2. Develop uplink capabilities for the optical ground station, including point-ahead tracking and polarisation control.
3. Conduct field tests for quantum communication with a receiver satellite in a low-earth orbit.
4. Carry out other general tasks involved in scientific research as analysis and interpretation of data, and daily oversight of the activities of postgraduate and undergraduate project students in the laboratory.
5. Carry out the research project to a high standard by: 
   1. Meeting planned milestones and deliverables.
   2. Reporting progress regularly to supervisors, both verbally and in written reports
   3. Keeping clear written records of work done and storing data in accessible formats according to a system agreed with the project supervisor.
6. Collaborate with partners within the project and others as appropriate
7. The post holder will join the Edinburgh Mostly Quantum Lab and will be expected to work collaboratively and cooperatively in a team environment; this involves shared use of laboratory equipment (therefore effective communication between group members is essential).
8. Assist the development of student research skills and contribute to the assessment of student knowledge in the context of teaching and supervision duties. 
9. Maintain and develop collaborations with internal and external partners in the field.
10. Attend group and project meetings, communicating progress on a regular basis. Deliver presentations to project collaborators and the wider research community. Regular short-term travels to visit collaborators and attend international conferences are thus expected and funding to cover caring costs are available.
11. Write high quality research papers in English for the scientific literature. 
12. Disseminate results of research in peer reviewed journals and conferences, and/or other appropriate media. 

Essential & Desirable Criteria

Essential

1. A PhD in physics, electrical engineering, or other relevant subjects. Candidates must have submitted their doctoral thesis before starting in post.
2. The ideal candidate will have a strong experimental background in one or more of the following fields: experimental quantum photonics, quantum communications.
3. A record of high-quality publications, relative to opportunity, in the above-mentioned fields.
4. Commitment to adopting principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace

Desirable

1. Previous experience with one or more of the following:
   1. Entangled photon source development
   2. Long-distance quantum communication 
   3. Modelling of optical satellite communication links
2. Experience in leading the writing of scientific papers.
3. Evidence of ability, subject to opportunity, to guide other researchers, e.g. PhD students and undergraduate project students.
4. Capability to be self-directed and think innovatively.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 26 October 2025.

Please submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About the Team

The Edinburgh Mostly Quantum Lab (EMQL) conducts research in quantum light source development for quantum communication in space and in terrestrial networks. We are a dynamic and international team of ten researchers including postdocs and PhD students. The group has well-equipped laboratories for quantum optics with state-of-the-art equipment such as quantum-dot and down-conversion based photon-pair sources, superconducting nanowire detectors and ultrafast time processing. The team lead, Prof. Alessandro Fedrizzi, is a co-director of the upcoming HWU-led phase-3 National Quantum Hub in Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN). As a member of the IQN, we have wide-ranging collaborations within the UK Quantum Technology community in academia and industry. We are an official member of the QEYSSat international science team.

Our group is part of the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Science (IPaQS), which is one of the UK's largest research clusters in Quantum Technology. IPaQS has a strong culture of collaborative research, which is built on the regular exchange of ideas between our experimental and theory groups. We are a tight-knit community of academics that support each other’s career development. We have a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and hold regular events that celebrate our diversity and raise awareness about issues affecting the IPaQS community. We have world-class research facilities, including a 275m² cleanroom and 2175m² of high specification optics and laser laboratories, providing the infrastructure needed to conduct internationally leading research in photonics and quantum sciences. The UK Research and Excellence Framework (REF2021) saw Heriot-Watt Physics ranked first in Scotland and 4th in the UK for world-leading research.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.