Teaching Assistant - C2QA QIS101 Virtual Summer Program

About the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA)

The Center is led by Brookhaven National Laboratory and  one of five National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science. Center member institutions are tasked to accelerate transformational advances in basic science and quantum-based technologies that are needed to assure continued U.S. leadership in QIS. The Center scientific researchers are building the tools necessary to create scalable, distributed, and fault-tolerant quantum computer systems.

Position Description

The Teaching Assistant – Virtual is a resource for students to aid them in understanding program materials and completing lab assignments. The incumbent will attend each lecture and lead their respective workshops to aid the students in successfully completing the QIS 101 program.

Opportunity Candidacy and Compensation

• U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents.
• Candidates selected for interview will be asked produce REAL ID-compliant documentation in compliance with the U.S. REAL ID Act which states nationwide identification requirements for virtual or site access to federal facilities. Additional information available at BNL.gov/REAL-ID. 
• The role is virtual, full-time, non-exempt position and open to candidates that have availability to work the anticipated 5 – 10 hours per week of overtime from June 8 – July 17, 2026.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $17.00 - $31.75 / hour. Salary offers will be commensurate with the final candidate’s qualification, education and experience and considered with the internal peer group.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Directly support assigned students during each session. Ensure students successfully complete every lab assignment.
• Evaluate and submit written grades for assigned student’s solutions to every task in the course using a rubric of output correctness, accuracy, precision, efficiency, and runtime speed compared to the approved solutions.
• Take, track, and report on the attendance of assigned students for all sessions of the program, tracking student arrival time and full attendance throughout each session.
• Serve as the first point of contact to respond to technical questions (via 1:1 Zoom chat) from assigned students in parallel and cadence with Instructor delivery of course material.
• Lead assigned, syllabus allocated, informal sessions titled “TA Time” via Zoom breakout rooms designed to allow students to collaborate, complete assignments, and explore extensions of hands-on labs.
• Assist assigned students in the download, installation, and operation of QIS101 software development tools and Python virtual environment application each student computer.
• Remotely debug Python code their assigned students have written that is not compiling or running correctly using Zoom.
• Each SA-V must be completely familiar with the learning objectives and lab assignments for every session of the program. SA-Vs will attend every session, complete every lab assignment, and upload solutions for evaluation, feedback, and collaboration with program Instructor.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Active enrollment in an undergraduate or graduate level degree program in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or related. The candidate may not exceed 1 semester past graduation from their program.
• Expert skills at debugging and writing Python code using industry best practices for software development.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills. Ability to speak clearly, simply, and patiently with students who may be non-native English speakers and have limited initial skills.
• Must strongly desire to educate, mentor, and inspire junior colleagues to help them master new QIS skills.
• Available for compensated overtime to meet with assigned students for materials review, code troubleshooting, and mentoring.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Python 3.11+ and be familiar with creating and managing virtual environments for Python using Conda and Pip.
• Experience using an integrated development environment such as Visual Studio Code, PyCharm, or Thonny.
• Knowledge of command line interfaces (Apple iTerm2, Windows PowerShell, Linux shells, etc.) to manipulate files and folders.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, or Google Drive.
• Previously completed courses in linear algebra, trigonometry, probability and statistics, multivariable calculus, differential equations, and complex analysis. Ideally, the incumbent will have taken a course in quantum mechanics.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at BNL | Benefits Program

Brookhaven National Laboratory requires all non-badged personnel including visitors to produce a REAL-ID or REAL-ID compliant documentation to access Brookhaven National Laboratory – view more information at www.bnl.gov/real-id.  This is due to nationwide identification requirements for federal site access as required by the federal REAL ID Act.  Those not in possession of a REAL ID-compliant document will not be permitted to access the site which includes access to the Laboratory for interviews. 

About Us

Brookhaven National Laboratory (www.bnl.gov) delivers discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation’s future. Brookhaven Lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, 37 R&D 100 Awards, and more than 70 years of pioneering research. The Lab is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) operates and manages the Laboratory for DOE. BSA is a partnership between Battelle and The Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University. BSA salutes our veterans and active military members with careers that leverage the skills and unique experience they gained while serving our country, learn more at BNL | Opportunities for Veterans at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Guided by our core values of integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, and teamwork, Brookhaven Science Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer-Vets/Disabled. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that fuels scientific discovery. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.  *VEVRAA Federal Contractor

BSA employees are subject to restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation at the time of hire for review by Brookhaven. The full text of the Order may be found at: https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0486.1-BOrder-a/@@images/file