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Postdoctoral Appointee – Single Electron Qubits (NST)
Posted Aug 12, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a device you fabricated in a cleanroom. What process step gave you the most trouble?
What they are checking: Whether they have real nanofabrication experience and can solve process problems.
Tell me about working on a team where your results depended on others' work.
What they are checking: Whether they collaborate well in a tightly connected team, as the posting stresses.
How would you explain your qubit research to someone outside physics?
What they are checking: Whether they have the communication skills the posting lists as a requirement.
What would you do
Depositing neon and trapping electrons is not standard. How would you troubleshoot a cooldown where you see no electron signal?
What they are checking: Whether they can work systematically on a new platform with little established know-how.
What would you want to accomplish in your first year on this project?
What they are checking: Whether they have realistic, concrete goals for advancing the platform.
About the work
What makes an electron on solid neon an attractive qubit platform compared to other solid-state qubits?
What they are checking: Whether they understand why this new platform could offer long coherence and clean environments.
How would you approach realizing a high-fidelity two-qubit gate between single electrons on neon?
What they are checking: Whether they can think about coupling mechanisms like resonator-mediated interactions.
Walk me through how you'd design a device that traps a single electron and couples it to a superconducting resonator.
What they are checking: Whether they can think about electrode geometry, trapping potentials and circuit QED design.
How do you measure qubit coherence times, and what would you suspect if T2 came out much shorter than expected?
What they are checking: Whether they know standard qubit measurements and how to diagnose decoherence sources.
What's your experience with microwave measurement and low-temperature setups like dilution refrigerators?
What they are checking: Whether they have the hands-on cryogenic and microwave skills this work requires.
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As published by Argonne National Laboratory.