Fiber Assembly Process Engineer
About the job
- A Master of Science or PhD in photonics, optics, physics, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
- At least five years of experience in fiber optics, optical system development, and assembly.
- Strong understanding of optical fibers, fiber splicing, and measurement equipment.
- Familiarity with key opto-mechanical packaging and assembly equipment.
- Proficiency in Python and JMP.
- Experience with mechanical and/or optical instrumentation automation and control.
- Study and identify root causes of fiber splice loss and loss variability.
- Develop and deploy advanced fiber processing equipment in collaboration with industrial partners.
- Develop advanced measurement methodologies to validate fiber and fiber splice losses at datacenter scale.
- Use optical simulation tools to model the behavior and performance of fiber-fiber interfaces for a wide range of advanced fiber designs.
- Assess modal properties, loss mechanisms, dispersion, coupling, and other key fiber characteristics for demanding optical applications through optical modeling, experimental validation, and model closure.
- Work with the optical packaging and assembly validation teams to develop and deliver test methods for the performance and reliability of fiber interfaces.
- Familiarity with back-end semiconductor packaging.
[We will consider candidates at all levels - Associate to Senior]
PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.
Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.
Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure.
In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.
PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.
Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real.
Come join us.
Job Summary:
The Senior Fiber Assembly Process Engineer will be responsible for the development of advanced assembly instrumentation for high-performance and high throughput fiber splicing, and study and address fiber and splice reliability at the scale of datacenters. This role combines fiber engineering, opto-mechanical automation, optical assembly manufacturing and semiconductor process development.
Responsibilities:
- Study and root-cause sources of fiber splice loss and loss variability.
- Develop and deploy advanced fiber processing equipment working with industrial partners.
- Develop advanced measurement methodologies for validating fiber and fiber splice losses at datacenter scale.
- Use optical simulation tools to model behavior & performance fiber-fiber interfaces for a wide range of advanced fiber designs.
- Assess modal properties, loss mechanisms, dispersion, coupling, and other key fiber characteristics relevant to demanding optical applications, through optical modeling and experimental validation, model closure.
- Work with the optical packaging and assembly validation teams to develop and deliver test methods for the performance and reliability of fiber interfaces.
Experience/Qualifications:
- MSc or PhD in photonics, optics, physics, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
- 5+ years of experience in fiber optics, optical system development and assembly.
- Strong understanding of optical fibers and fiber splicing & measurement equipment.
- Familiar with key opto-mechanical packaging and assembly equipment.
- Proficiency in Python and JMP.
- Experience with mechanical and/or optical instrumentation automation and control.
- Familiarity with back-end semiconductor packaging is a plus.
PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.
Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to [email protected].
We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.
Base pay is one part of the total compensation package. Full-time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Our compensation ranges reflect the cost of labor across multiple U.S. geographic markets, and we pay based on defined geographic zones. This position may be filled within one of the following U.S. geographic zones, each with its own salary range.
Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's qualifications, relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, business needs, and internal equity. Your recruiter can share more details about the salary range applicable to your location during the hiring process.
- Zone 1 - Bay Area and NYC
- Zone 2 - Examples include Los Angeles and Washington DC
- Zone 3 - Examples include Austin, Chicago, and Sacramento
- Zone 4 - Examples include Nashville and Phoenix/Tempe and many remote locations
This position includes the following benefits: competitive health coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) with company match, equity grants, access to financial wellness tools and planning resources, wellness benefits, family support programs, life and disability insurance, paid leave programs, company-designated paid holidays, discretionary time off (DTO), and an end-of-year company shutdown. Some of these benefits have eligibility requirements and may vary based on location, role, or employment status. Many of these benefits are subsidized or fully paid for by the company.
The estimated annual base salary range for this role is:
Zone 1 150800 - 177200 USD
Zone 2 135700 - 159500 USD
Zone 3 120700 - 141800 USD
Zone 4 105500 - 124000 USD
About the company
PsiQuantum builds utility-scale quantum computers that use photons as qubits and a semiconductor-compatible Omega chipset. The Omega platform combines single-photon sources, superconducting detectors, and optical switches to enable scalable chip-to-chip interconnects and high-fidelity quantum operations. It differentiates itself by using manufacturable semiconductor processes, pursuing large-scale integration, and exploring fault-tolerant approaches like fusion-based quantum computation (FBQC) with collaborations with government and research institutions. The goal is to deliver a scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer capable of solving real-world problems in chemistry, materials science, optimization, and cryptography beyond what classical computers can handle.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$2.9B
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
Founded
2015
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- September 8, 2026 Commerce funding added $100 million for optical switches and detectors.
- July 2026 DARPA QBI contract added $125 million and commercial credibility.
- September 2026 Moreton Bay construction and Linde's cryogenic plant prove execution.
What critics are saying
- A 2028 Quantum Genesis deadline leaves PsiQuantum exposed if hardware slips past milestones.
- Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park critics target water, power, and contamination costs in Chicago.
- If photonic integration fails, PsiQuantum becomes a billion-dollar science project with no product.
What makes PsiQuantum unique
- PsiQuantum's silicon-photonics stack uses semiconductor fabs, unlike trapped-ion rivals.
- Victor Peng and Jeremy O'Brien coordinate Brisbane and Chicago utility-scale buildouts.
- Construct, launched May 2026, turns fault-tolerant algorithm design into an open platform.
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1%Pentagon invests in quantum computing as national Security priori. WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is expanding its investment in quantum computing with roughly $350 million in new initiatives, including a conditional $150 million loan commitment to PsiQuantum aimed at strengthening advanced manufacturing and prototyping in the United States. The effort is designed to accelerate development of quantum systems that could eventually support national-security missions in areas including materials science, chemistry, weapons development and advanced computing. As part of the broader initiative, the Office of Strategic Capital announced a conditional loan commitment to PsiQuantum, which is developing a photonic approach to fault-tolerant quantum computing. The proposed financing would support PsiQuantum's manufacturing and prototyping capabilities in the United States and builds on separate work involving the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and federal semiconductor initiatives. The loan has not yet closed. PsiQuantum must still satisfy financial, legal, technical, due-diligence and other requirements before the financing can proceed. Discover more Read Daily News The Defense Department is also increasing funding through DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, which is evaluating whether prospective quantum-computing systems can operate at useful scale. Four quantum-computing providers have advanced to Stage C of that program, representing about $200 million in new funding on top of more than $650 million previously invested by DARPA in prospective providers. During Stage C, DARPA will work with participating companies to verify whether their proposed utility-scale systems can be built and operated as designed. The review will focus on technical risks, prototype requirements and the feasibility of each company's development plan. The department also plans to place greater emphasis on identifying practical military applications for quantum computing as the technology matures. Officials said future quantum systems could help address complex problems in chemistry, materials science and physics, potentially contributing to the development of new weapons, platforms and other defense capabilities. Beginning before January 2027, DARPA is expected to host a series of workshops with the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences. The sessions will bring together end users and quantum-algorithm specialists to identify potential high-value applications. The Defense Department said the new programs will complement quantum initiatives underway at the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and NASA. Federal officials increasingly view quantum computing as a foundational technology with implications for both economic competitiveness and military capability, placing it alongside artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors as a strategic priority. Discover more Follow Politics The combined initiatives are intended to strengthen the U.S. quantum industrial base while pushing companies closer to developing systems capable of performing commercially and militarily useful calculations.
The Department of War announced about $350 million in quantum-computing initiatives on October 8, to support national-security uses and the US quantum industry. About $200 million in new funding goes to Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, and IonQ, which advanced to Stage C of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. Stage C will test whether their proposed systems can be built and run as planned. The Office of Strategic Capital also announced a conditional loan commitment of about $150 million for PsiQuantum's US manufacturing and prototyping work. It is not confirmed funding. "Stage C is where we begin moving from plans to proof," said Micah Stoutimore, the initiative's managing director. The programme is testing whether a quantum approach can reach utility-scale operation by 2033.
PsiQuantum receives conditional $150M loan commitment to advance US quantum computing. October 8, 2026 Press play to listen to this content PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 8, 2026 - PsiQuantum announced today that the company has received a conditional commitment for a loan of up to $150 million from the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), which would expand the company's advanced manufacturing and prototyping capabilities in the United States. The financing would support PsiQuantum's 140,000-square-foot hub in Milpitas, California, for scaling the company's state-of-the-art technologies and developing and validating the prototype systems that underpin its fault-tolerant quantum computing architecture. Combined with co-investment from PsiQuantum, which anchors its supply chain in the United States, this new financing would strengthen the company's domestic capacity for design, testing, and system integration as PsiQuantum advances toward building utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers in the United States. "Today's announcement shows the U.S. government's bold leadership and continued commitment to quantum computing as a critical technology for America's economic prosperity and national security," said Victor Peng, Chief Executive Officer of PsiQuantum. "Delivering on the full promise of this technology in the United States will require world-class manufacturing and engineering ecosystems, and this potential financing underscores the vital role Washington can play." Financing from the Office of Strategic Capital would support PsiQuantum's acquisition of critical infrastructure and equipment required for constructing, testing, and validating prototype quantum systems, including: * Test equipment for the fabrication and validation of components, subassemblies, and system-level assemblies * Critical infrastructure for system assembly, integration, and testing * Advanced cryogenic systems for prototype systems PsiQuantum's potential financing from the Department of Defense would be deployed by the company to expand and strengthen domestic quantum computing capacity. Today's announcement follows a twelve-month period of strong momentum for PsiQuantum as the company continues to develop its quantum infrastructure globally. This June, PsiQuantum broke ground and started construction on its facility at Moreton Bay Central in Queensland, Australia. In September 2025, the company broke ground on its site at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park in Chicago. The proposed financing remains strictly conditional and is not guaranteed. A final loan commitment will only be executed if PsiQuantum satisfies all applicable financial, legal, technical, and regulatory conditions outlined in the conditional commitment. About PsiQuantum PsiQuantum was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company's mission is to build and deploy the world's first useful quantum computers. PsiQuantum's photonic approach enables it to leverage high-volume semiconductor manufacturing, existing cryogenic infrastructure, and architectural flexibility to rapidly scale its systems. Learn more at www.psiquantum.com. For all the talk about a shortage of AI computing power, and the need for... The Department of Energy today unveiled a dozen Phase II awards for its Genesis Mission... DARPA announced today that Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM and IonQ have advanced to the final... The U.S. Department of Energy is launching a competition with up to $215 million in planned... OpenAI says one of its AI systems has solved a math problem that has stumped... Quantum practitioners should stop wondering if quantum computer hardware is ready soon and start worrying...
Future product development in Quantum Chemistry & Quantum Life Sciences & Expected timelines to market. IQT Quantum Chemicals and Quantum Life Science Long-term product development in quantum chemistry and quantum life sciences is shifting from theoretical proofs-of-concept into structural, industrial application. Hardware and software developers are engineering full-stack platforms to bypass the limitations of classical computers for atomic and biological simulations. [1, 2] The primary long-term product initiatives in both fields, along with the key organizations leading them, include the following: * Quantum Chemistry product development. Long-term R&D in quantum chemistry centers on first-principles molecular modeling, industrial catalyst design, and material lifecycle simulations. [1, 2] * Algorithmic and Cloud Software Platforms: Companies are actively coding cloud-based software suites that can map electron behavior with perfect precision. * Quantinuum is scaling its InQuanto(TM) platform for molecular and materials simulation. * QC Ware is developing Promethium(R), a SaaS platform hosted on AWS Marketplace designed to handle complex chemical systems of up to 2,000 atoms. * Microsoft maintains the Azure Quantum Chemistry Library, integrating high-level Q# quantum instructions with legacy classical packages like NWChem. [1] * Zapata Quantum (partnering with NVIDIA) is building agentic AI workflows to automate quantum resource estimation for advanced materials development. [1, 2 * Industrial Catalysts and Process Innovation: * Global chemical giants are financing deep-tech software to redesign fundamental chemical reactio * BASF and Dow Chemical are engineering simulations to map nitrogen fixation and polymer degradation, aiming to shorten catalytic research timelines from several years to mere weeks * Quantum Life Sciences product development. Quantum life science development focuses on multi-objective molecular drug design, complex protein folding, and subatomic biological mechanism simulations. [1]. * End-to-End Computational Drug Discovery Engines: R&D platforms are migrating away from slow, single-property screening toward parallel, multi-objective optimization of massive molecular libraries. * PolarisQB: Developing QUAD (Quantum Aided Drug Design) software running on D-Wave Quantum systems, designed to screen a vast chemical space of \(10^{30}\) molecules within days to evaluate drug activity, solubility, and biodegradability simultaneously. * Qubit Pharmaceuticals: Actively scaling its ATLAS hybrid computing platform, which integrates physics-inspired algorithms to model metalloenzymes and GPCR targets for oncology and pandemic response pipelines. * Algorithmic: Collaborating with IBM to build fault-tolerant quantum algorithms specifically aimed at cutting down pre-clinical pharmaceutical timelines. [1, 2, 3] * Biopharma Pipeline Integrations * Multi-national pharmaceutical brands are embedding quantum workflows into their existing pipelines to model disease targets. * Boehringer Ingelheim: Working with Google Quantum AI to model electronic structures of complex proteins, and with PsiQuantum to simulate metalloenzyme dynamics. * Moderna: Utilizing IBM Quantum systems to run high-dimensional mRNA secondary structure simulations to engineer ultra-stable mRNA therapies. * AstraZeneca: Partnered with IonQ, NVIDIA, and AWS to finalize quantum-accelerated workflows targeting small-molecule synthesis. * Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline: Developing quantum machine learning platforms with Quantinuum to classify peptide binding vectors and automate automated fragment-linking. [1, 2, 3]. Cross-Market Comparison | Field | Primary Long-Term Objective | Key Developer Archetypes | Prominent Commercial Software Platforms | | Quantum Chemistry | Catalyst design, nitrogen fixation, polymer degradation, battery chemistry. Industrial chemical firms, hyperscalers, full-stack quantum providers. InQuanto (Quantinuum), Promethium (QC Ware), Azure Quantum (Microsoft). | | Quantum Life Sciences | Multi-objective lead optimization, mRNA modeling, targeted oncology therapies. Biopharma giants, biotech pure-plays, quantum hardware-software labs. QUAD (PolarisQB), ATLAS (Qubit Pharmaceuticals), Qiskit Runtime (IBM). | Expected Timelines and Specific Products for each sector include: * Quantum Chemistry products (timeline: 2028-2030). Because industrial chemical products face faster development-to-market loops than human pharmaceuticals, chemistry will be the first sector to yield tangible, on-the-shelf items. [1, 2] * Solid-State Electric Vehicle Batteries: Quantum-classical hybrid pipelines are already screening tens of millions of potential materials to isolate optimal solid-state battery electrolytes. Early results include new material variations that use up to 70% less lithium while maintaining high conductivity. Consumer electronics and automotive batteries utilizing these quantum-discovered materials are slated for production near 2028-2029. [1, 2] * Ultra-Durable Coatings & Anti-Corrosives: Major aerospace and energy firms are leveraging early quantum systems to simulate metal corrosion and molecular stress. Consumers will see the results in ultra-hard carbon phases (up to 30% more compressively resistant than diamond) used in industrial tools, consumer electronics casing, and highly durable automotive coatings. [1, 2] * Next-Generation Crop Fertilizers: Chemical giants like BASF are using near-term quantum simulators to model the nitrogenase enzyme. This research aims to replicate natural nitrogen fixation, replacing energy-intensive industrial fertilizer processes with sustainable, quantum-optimized agricultural products by 2030. [1, 2] * Quantum Life Science products (timeline: 2035+). The timeline for life sciences is significantly extended because of human safety trials. Even if a quantum computer perfectly simulates a therapeutic molecule today, that drug must still undergo 10 to 12 years of clinical trials before it can be purchased at a pharmacy. [1] * Targeted Oncology & Cancer Therapies: Current hybrid pipelines utilize quantum machine learning models to narrow down millions of molecular configurations into high-success candidates for complex cancer targets. The resulting highly targeted, low-side-effect small molecule drugs are moving into early development pipelines now, targeting regulatory approval in the mid-2030s. [1, 2, 3, 4] * Quantum-Optimized mRNA Vaccines: Biotech innovators like Moderna are leveraging quantum-enhanced modeling to design stable mRNA sequences. These formulations optimize how a vaccine interacts with human drug metabolism enzymes at a atomic level, leading to faster-acting booster formulations and highly personalized vaccines. [1, 2] * Precision Neurological Drugs: Simulating how large biological macromolecules fold is incredibly difficult for classical computers. Fault-tolerant quantum computing systems, expected to mature in the early 2030s, will allow the simulation of large proteins (exceeding 12,000 atoms). This will yield highly precise treatments for complex neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, arriving on the shelves in the late 2030s. [1, 2, 3, 4] | Industry Sector | Expected Shelf Date | Primary Consumer/Industrial Products | | Quantum Chemistry | 2028 - 2030 | Low-lithium solid-state EV batteries, diamond-hard protective coatings, eco-friendly fertilizers. | | Quantum Life Sciences | 2035 and beyond | Targeted small-molecule cancer drugs, rapid-response mRNA therapeutics, precision neurological treatments. |
Rockford Brake Manufacturing receives state honor for local impact. ROCKFORD - A historic manufacturer that was revived after bankruptcy was honored Thursday night with one of the inaugural Illinois Impact awards by the Illinois Economic Development Corporation. Rockford Brake Manufacturing, 302 Peoples Ave., was one of four companies to receive the Governor's Award for Local Impact, which recognizes businesses whose investment, growth and long-term presence strengthens the community and regional economy. There were also awards given for Innovator of the Year (Rivian), Large Development of the Year (Hyundai Translead) and Team Illinois Partner of the Year (IQMP, Related Midwest, Clayco, and PsiQuantum). The awards were bestowed to Rockford Brake and other companies at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Rockford Brake, which was purchased out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy a year ago by four former Gunite employees, has now provided $20 million in direct economic impact, including more than $7 million in wages and benefits to its 130-plus employees, according to the company. "Rockford Brake is thrilled to receive the Governor's Award for Local Impact - Northern Illinois. Rockford Brake's success is due to the people we have been able to bring into the organization. The strong generational foundation of manufacturing talent in northern Illinois has meant we have been able to ramp up production with skilled team members to support the rapid growth of the company," Paul Wright, CEO of Rockford Brake, said in a news release. "The investment Illinois continues to make in manufacturing provides the platform for companies like ours to compete and win." Rockford Brake won the governor's award for northern Illinois. It went to ADM and Rural King in central Illinois and Continental Tire in southern Illinois. "The Illinois Impact Awards celebrate the very best of Team Illinois - the people and organizations working together to attract investment, drive innovation, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen communities across our state," Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. "From advanced manufacturing to clean energy to quantum and other emerging technologies, our honorees reflect the hard work and bold vision that is driving our state's historic economic progress. I'm honored to recognize their leadership and look forward to building on our efforts to make Illinois the best place to live, work, and do business." Rockford Brake restarted work about a year ago. The revival came about 11 months after Accuride, the former parent company of Gunite, closed the factory while it restructured under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The closure led to 327 layoffs and left the site idle. The plant was then purchased by four former employees: Brandon Baumann, Mike Brandi Jr., Tim Davis and Scott Henderson. The factory, through several ownership changes, has been in business in Rockford since 1854.