Internships

The Open Quantum Initiative (OQI) Undergraduate Fellowship provides undergraduate students with research experiences working in quantum science laboratories and research groups.

With the support of Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) member and partner institutions this fellowship helps to open pathways into careers in quantum science and research for undergraduate students. Through the Fellowship, students expand their understanding of quantum information science and engineering (QISE), connect with leaders in academia and industry, and increase awareness of quantum career opportunities, including the wide range of opportunities to leverage applied quantum research in fields such as drug design, bioimaging, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and finance. The summer experience is aimed at developing students' research literacy skills and exposure to the wide range of fields and subfields (including experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches) in:

• Quantum Computing
• Quantum Communication
• Quantum Sensing
• Quantum Optics/Information Science
• Quantum Materials

Students participating in the program spend summers working in person with research groups on challenging QISE projects. Fellows will be given on-campus housing at their institution, a stipend of $7,000, and travel to/from the program. Research experiences occur across the CQE community, which includes: University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, and Purdue University. Dates of the fellowship depend on the institution each Fellow is placed at:

1. The Ohio State University: May 17 – July 25, 2026
2. Argonne National Laboratory: May 26 – July 31, 2026
3. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory: May 26 – July 31, 2026
4. Purdue University: May 26 – July 31, 2026
5. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: May 26 – July 31, 2026
6. University of Wisconsin–Madison: June 1 – August 3, 2026
7. University of Chicago: June 8 – August 14, 2026
8. Northwestern University: June 21 – August 29, 2026

The OQI experience kicks off with an industry site visit to learn more from quantum-focused and quantum-adjacent companies. Previous cohorts have visited IBM Research in Yorktown, NY, HRL Laboratories in Malibu, CA, PsiQuantum, and Applied Materials in Palo Alto, CA. The experience concludes with the OQI Research Symposium, where OQI Fellows present their research to current and previous OQI cohorts, faculty, and industry partners.

The deadline for the 2025 cohort is February 10, 2026.

🔗 How to apply: Learn more

Quantum Academy teacher participants will be exposed to quantum science through an immersive, hands-on research experience, content instruction and information on resources and opportunities for students. Through this program, we also support high school teachers in implementing these new curricula during the coming academic year. Any CPS high school science teacher can participate. Attend upcoming information sessions on March 5 and 11 to learn more.

🔗 How to apply: Learn more

📍 Location: Chicago, IL

The intern will assist with characterization and analysis of active photonic devices, circuits and systems based on barium titanate (BTO) phase shifters. Seeking a current graduate student. This is a 4+ month internship - you must be available for at least 4 months.

🔗 How to apply: Apply here

📍 Location: Palo Alto, CA

The intern will work with other software engineers across the company and department to build productionalized software solutions. They will help build and harden an internal automation platform that lets researchers run quantum-application workloads end-to-end, with reproducible lineage and centralized storage. A major part of the internship is improving the reliability, governance, and usability of the data/compute platform (Databricks + AWS-backed storage), while also contributing to benchmarking and algorithm-adjacent components of the quantum workflow.

🔗 How to apply: Learn more

📍 Location: Palo Alto, CA or remote

The Technology Policy Intern will develop and apply appropriate methodologies to evaluate the effect of salient policy issues on the industry, draft persuasive and evidence-based position papers, monitor and summarize policy documents and relevant legislation, and travel within the National Capital Region to support briefings and in-person events.

🔗 How to apply: Learn more

📍 Location: Arlington, VA

Our Project Engineering Intern will support cross functional efforts in the development and integration of advanced quantum computing hardware, reporting through the Project Management Organization while working closely with scientists and engineers.

🔗 How to apply: Apply here

📍 Location: Broomfield, CO

The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) connects students interested in QIS internships and full-time positions to opportunities with QED-C members. Available to undergraduates, graduate students and post-docs.

🔗 How to apply: Find a list of internships on the QED-C internships board.

Quantum Machines is a global leader in control systems for quantum computing. Our Quantum Orchestration platform powers quantum breakthroughs and accelerates the path towards the new age of quantum computing. QM has a team of quantum physicists, software and systems engineers, and chip designers, all passionate about advancing the world of quantum computing further than it has ever gone before. 

The Quantum Machines internship program is an exciting opportunity to gain real-world quantum computation experience, working alongside experienced quantum researchers on a breakthrough technological platform that is becoming the new standard for controlling quantum systems. 

Interns will become a part of the QM team and work in a high-paced startup environment, building tools to enable some of the most advanced quantum applications in existence or those targeting next-generation systems, and developing their quantum control capabilities, which will be highly applicable in their future research. QM is seeking undergraduate or graduate students with completed coursework on the basics of quantum mechanics, a familiarity with quantum information science, and solid programming experience in Matlab/Python or similar, emphasizing data analysis and experimental control. Experience with quantum lab experiments and machine learning techniques are a plus.

🔗 How to apply: Interested applicants should send resume and cover letter to hr@quantum-machines.co.

The company, located in Plymouth, Michigan, develops novel products and services that enable researchers to make single-photon measurements with unmatched sensitivity, speed, and precision. Its Opus One™ multi-channel near-infrared photon detector system operates with greater than 90 percent detection efficiency, low jitter, low afterpulsing, and very high continuous count rates.

Interns are desired to improve the company’s low-loss, high-speed photon detectors, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, and custom engineering solutions for nanowire response, mid-infrared photon counting, custom cryogenic systems, and integration with waveguides and photonic chips, which will enable next-generation experiments in quantum optics, optical quantum computation, single-photon communication, low-flux biophotonics, and remote sensing.

🔗 How to apply: Interested candidate should send a resume and cover letter to info@quantumopus.com, explaining why they are interested in working with Quantum Opus, their areas of interest, and their unique expertise.

QuEra Computing is seeking a talented, impact-motivated intern for the Quantum Algorithms and Applications team. At QuEra, you will focus on using our neutral-atom quantum hardware to develop QEC algorithms and solutions across fields ranging from high-energy physics, condensed matter physics, and quantum chemistry.

🔗 How to apply: Open internships are posted at the QuEra career site, or inquire here.

Zurich Instruments is a technology leader in advanced test and measurement instruments based on dynamic signal processing. Zurich Instruments will be offering two internship opportunities exclusively for CQE students.  

Zurich Instruments is accepting Quantum Software Development Intern applications to support projects as they build and bring to the market the Quantum Computing Control System (QCCS). Internships are 3-6 month engagements, which will include time in Cambridge, MA or virtually and in Zurich, Switzerland (COVID-travel permitting). Interns will have physics or electrical engineering backgrounds and be enrolled in a PhD program. Requirements include practical lab experience with qubits, Python programming, and knowledge of quantum stack hardware and software layers. Responsibilities will include: Creation and documentation of measurement scripts using the QCCS; Develop and improve user experience of QCoDeS and Labber interfaces for the Zurich Instruments Quantum System Controller; support system level performance optimization; Involvement in reviewing and testing for various applications and use cases; and Deliver software documentation.  

🔗 How to apply: Due to limited openings these positions will be offered only to CQE students at this time. Interested CQE students should send a resume and motivation letter to Vikrant Mahajan at vikrant.mahajan@zhinst.com.

📍 Location: Cambridge, MA or virtually and in Zurich, Switzerland