We have an open PhD position in the Quantum Randomness Group at the University of Cologne, funded through our QuantERA project on bosonic quantum computing. If you enjoy mathematically rigorous quantum information theory and want to help shape how an emerging class of quantum hardware is understood, read on.
Bosonic quantum computers encode information in the states of light or other harmonic oscillators, and they are among the more promising routes toward fault-tolerant quantum computing. But a device is only as useful as our ability to test it: before you can trust a computation, you need to characterize the hardware, benchmark its performance, and read out the relevant information efficiently — and the tools for doing this in the bosonic setting are still largely to be built.
That is the goal of BATiR LE CHAT (Bosonic quAntum compuTeRs, LEarning, CHaracterization And Testing), a European QuantERA consortium in which this position is embedded. We aim to develop a rigorous toolbox for learning, characterizing, and testing bosonic quantum computers. Your part is the theory: designing the methods, understanding their limits, and connecting them to the broader landscape of classical simulation, error correction, and random quantum circuits, working closely with academic and industry partners across Europe: Ulysse Chabaud (INRIA Paris), Jonas Haferkamp (RU Bochum), Jonas Helsen & Freek Witteveen (QuSoft and CWI Amsterdam), Christophe Vuillot (Alice & Bob, Paris).
We know that strong candidates often don't tick every box. If the project excites you and you meet the core requirements, we'd rather hear from you than not.
You'll join the Quantum Randomness Group at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, part of the Cluster of Excellence ML4Q — one of Europe's largest quantum research networks, spanning Cologne, Aachen, Bonn, and Jülich. Cologne offers an unusually active quantum-information community, and the consortium gives you a natural route into collaborations across Europe.
Cologne is an international and famously open city, home to one of Europe's largest queer communities. A significant share of its one-million population is made up by foreign nationals, which makes it welcoming and easy to settle into for non-German speakers. As such, Cologne is a genuinely pleasant place to live.
A note on the “75%”: In Germany, there is only one payscale for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers (E13) and it is thus customary that doctoral positions are advertized part-time, here 75% (29.87 h/week). This nevertheless corresponds to a full, three-year doctoral post, not a reduced or secondary role. Your salary is highly competitive within Europe and will automatically increase with time — you may compute an estimate using this salary calculator for the public payscale (in German). Happy to explain more if you're unfamiliar with the German system.
The formal application goes through the University's job portal, quoting reference Wiss2607-06, by 12 August 2026. In line with university policy, please apply without a photo. Please include the following documents:
Questions before you apply? You're very welcome to contact Dr. Markus Heinrich at markus.heinrich@uni-koeln.de for an informal chat about the position or the group.
The University of Cologne is committed to equal opportunity and diversity, and welcomes applications from all suitable candidates regardless of background. The full statutory equal-opportunity statement is included in the official job posting.