POSITION SUMMARY

INRS - Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications (EMT), wishes to fill a new tenure-track faculty position as part of a close collaboration between INRS and the Institut national d’optique (INO) in Quebec City, aiming for a strong industrial impact through the transfer of knowledge and technologies towards the development of products, solutions and start-ups.
INRS is a graduate research university that has consistently ranked among the top in Canada for its research intensity. The Centre EMT brings together world-renowned experts in the development of photonic technologies and houses world-class facilities unique in Canada, such as the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS), the Micro and Nanofabrication Laboratory (LMN), as well as state-of-the-art facilities in nonlinear and quantum photonics, including the future QUALITY - QUantum and Artificial Intelligence Light Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s systems.
INO is Canada’s leading center of expertise in optics-photonics, and one of the world’s top industrial innovation centers. INO promotes innovations that make industry more productive and competitive, with more than 2,000 jobs created via 81 technology transfers and 36 spin-offs over the past 35 years. The center is also home to a high-tech business incubator, Quantino, offering a business ecosystem, dedicated laboratories and collaborative workspaces.
This unique INRS-INO collaboration opportunity in quantum photonics technologies will be located at INO’s Quebec City facility, and will be part of a large high-tech ecosystem, with one of the largest concentrations of photonics experts in Canada. The person recruited will build a world-class team in the development of solutions in quantum photonics, and more specifically in integrated photonic devices and systems for quantum communication and sensors. Three main strategic themes will be exploited: 1) quantum materials for photon generation, modulation, transduction and detection; 2) quantum sensors exploiting entanglement, compressed states or other quantum states of interest; and 3) quantum communications and networking of quantum sensors and processors.
This position also aims to boost the partnership between research and entrepreneurship by promoting a direct link between INRS professors and an ecosystem of industrial partners with interest in both research and commercialization. The aim is to transform the way research is carried out by exposing researchers and students to market problems at an early stage, to instigate new research niches and stimulate innovation, while creating the conditions for success and market access.
The successful candidate who accepts the offer will be eligible to apply for a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Opportunity Fund (JREF) project to establish a research laboratory based at INO. The EMT center and INO will provide support to the applicant in submitting a project for this fund.
EMT’s research expertise and infrastructure will also be accessible to the successful candidate, as well as INO’s through joint projects. He or she will benefit from the vibrant industrial atmosphere of INO, Quantino and its incubated startups.

EDUCATION

• PhD in physics, engineering physics, electrical engineering, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience and/or skills in teaching and supervising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows;

STANDARD REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIAL SKILLS

• The candidate must demonstrate the potential to build an original, funded research program in the field of quantum photonic technologies;
• The candidate must also demonstrate how his/her expertise can be used to strengthen collaborative research with existing faculty at the EMT Center and with INO experts;
• The person with the following (non-exclusive) areas of expertise is sought: quantum materials, sensors and communications; quantum cryptography; integrated photonics; neuromorphic computing/processing, photonics and AI inference; nonlinear optics; reverse design of photonic chips.
  Individuals with expertise in other areas of integrated photonics are strongly encouraged to apply

• Establish an independent and innovative research program on topics related to integrated quantum photonic technologies;
• Secure funding for the research program through public and private grants and industrial partnerships, where appropriate;
• Establish collaborations with existing research teams at the EMT center and INO, and develop or maintain partnerships with outside groups such as the Centre d’optique, photonique et lasers (COPL) strategic cluster, which brings together more than 60 university and college researchers in the field across Quebec;
• Engage in training and teaching, through INRS’s graduate programs and supervision of postdoctoral fellows and research staff (N.B. INO actively participates in the MITACS program and co-directs 4-5 theses annually);
• Develop and collaborate on interdisciplinary industrial research projects in quantum photonic technologies.