PhD Residency – PETs Research Scientist (January 2025)

Ready to join the AQ era?

SandboxAQ is solving challenging problems with AI + Quantum for positive impact. We partner with global leaders in government, academia, and the private sector to identify applications that would benefit from quantum-based applications to current and future commercial challenges. We engage with customers early and throughout the development process to improve market fit.

Our team’s unique approach enables cross-pollination across a diverse range of fields, from physics, computer science, neuroscience, mathematics, cryptography, natural sciences and more! Our success comes from coalescing diverse talent to create an environment where experimental thinking and collaboration yield breakthrough AI + Quantum solutions. Join a culture where thought leadership, diverse talent, employee engagement, and technological impact will create the next tech uproar.

We are deeply committed to education as a means to advance quantum solutions and computing initiatives. We invest in future talent through internship programs, research papers, developer tools, textbooks, educational talks/events and partnerships with universities/talent hubs to attract multi-disciplinary talent. Our hope is to inspire people from all walks of life to be prepared for the quantum era and encourage a path in STEM.

Residencies at SandboxAQ

If you’re a graduate student in STEM ready to bring the new AI + Quantum era to the world, consider joining our residency program at SandboxAQ.

At SandboxAQ, this forward-looking vision is core to everything we do. It’s how we became who we are, and it’s how we know our solutions can shift the way businesses compete in tomorrow’s marketplace. AI + quantum will address significant business and scientific challenges – and that’s where Sandbox AQ comes in.

We are an enterprise Software-as-a-service (SaaS) company combining AI + quantum tech to solve hard problems impacting society. Our team’s unique approach enables cross-pollination across a diverse range of fields, from physics, computer science, neuroscience, mathematics, cryptography, natural sciences and more. Our success comes from gathering diverse talent to create an environment where experimental thinking and collaboration yield breakthrough AI + quantum solutions. Join a culture where thought leadership, diverse talent, employee engagement, and technological impact will create the next tech uproar.

We are currently looking for PhD or Postdoc students in a wide variety of STEM fields — physics, computer science, AI, neuroscience, chemistry, cryptography, mathematics/statistics, biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering, geophysics, and more — to join our world-class team of engineers, scientists and technologists.

Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

The Sandbox team is looking for a Research Scientist to help functionalize the next generation of cryptographic systems. A successful candidate will be comfortable with Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) such as Differential Privacy, Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Multi-Party Computation and Fully Homomorphic Encryption. Experience with post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic protocols and ML will be considered a plus. The successful candidate will be part of a diverse team consisting of cryptographers, mathematicians, ML experts, and physicists, and will play a key role in efficient and effective enablement of the technologies being developed.

Core Responsibilities

• Research and design new Privacy-Enhancing Technologies
• Work closely with the engineering team to integrate research outcomes into the product portfolio
• Implement and validate innovative PET constructions and/or protocols
• Collaborate on implementations of innovative privacy-preserving ML constructions and/or protocols

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong background in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies: Trusted execution enclaves, confidential computing, differential privacy, zero-knowledge proofs, multi-party computation or fully-homomorphic encryption.
• Deep understanding of cryptographic protocols
• Familiarity with PQC and privacy-preserving ML

Preferred Qualifications

• Competency with C, C++, Rust and/or machine learning frameworks
• Knowledge of formal methods applied to cryptographic implementations
• Experience contributing to open source projects

Details

• Location: Remote
• Start date: January 2025
• Duration: 
• Residencies: 1 year
• Postdocs: 2 years with potential extension to a 3rd year if both parties agree
• Eligibility
• Postdoc or currently enrolled in a PhD program in math, computer science, or related field. **Non-PhD post-graduate students may be considered on a case-by-case basis (e.g. MD, Masters, prior contributions to privacy preserving frameworks)
• For questions, email residency@sandboxaq.com

What to Expect

• Work on a technical project with scientists and engineers on one of our core teams
• Engagement with fellow residents
• Competitive compensation
• Present findings to the rest of Sandbox AQ
• Have fun!

The US base salary range for this full-time position is expected to be $100k – $115k per year. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. This role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses and equity.

SandboxAQ welcomes all.
We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where we have zero tolerance for discrimination. We invest in our employees’ personal and professional growth. Once you work with us, you can’t go back to normalcy because great breakthroughs come from great teams and we are the best in quantum technology.
 
We offer competitive salaries, stock options depending on employment type, generous learning opportunities, medical/dental/vision, family planning/fertility, PTO (summer and winter breaks), financial wellness resources, 401(k) plans, and more. 
 
Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
 
Accommodations: we provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles. If you need such an accommodation, please let a member of our Recruiting team know.