Development of a control plane for quantum networking and a quantum network routing simulator for analysis of quantum network protocols

Overview

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience
(PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at
academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be
the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to
work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that
underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Qualifications

• An advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in computer science or a related field is required.
• Candidates should have research experience in one or more of the following areas: networking protocols design and evaluation, distributed systems design, systems programming, IP protocol stack, next generation network technologies (e.g. Named Data Networking), wide-area network measurements.
• A solid understanding of entanglement concepts and their distribution, quantum memory decoherence models, mathematics, instrumentation, and advanced timing systems is essential.
• Advanced Programming skills for equipment control are required, with proficiency in languages such as Rust or C/C++. Low-level programming skills for FPGAs and high-performance Ethernet adapters (e.g. eBPF or Data Plane Development Kit) used for low latency communications for synchronization in the entanglement layer are also necessary.

Research Proposal

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Develop a scalable quantum network routing simulator with abstractions to different technologies of quantum repeaters and quantum memory.
• Develop a scalable control plane for quantum networking that will interface with the simulator.
• Design and conduct simulations for different entanglement distribution protocols, comparing the results with theoretical models.
• Provide high-quality simulation measurements to the project modeling team for analysis.
• Maintain a detailed log of all simulation activities.
• Share research findings through peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and presentations.