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ConsensusDay 23

5 June 2023

We explore the future of decentralization and examine the infrastructure limiting what you can do with technology.

Our research philosophy

Updates

2023-03-24 / Posts

The road to Lurk

Today is my last day at Protocol Labs, after which I am moving on to be the CTO of Lurk Lab. The last five years have gone by in the blink of an eye. As is common in transition, I find myself reflecting on how the past became the present and on the future to come. This post is a whirlwind summary of some of the highlights of my research/development work at Protocol Labs.

2023-03-21 / Publications

SpaceVDF: Verifiable delay functions using cryptographic satellites

In this document we aim to evaluate how VDF algorithms based on physical limits can be implemented in satellites and which physical properties / or roles of physics we can utilize to guarantee the passage of time.

2023-03-16 / Publications

LURK: Lambda, the ultimate recursive knowledge

We introduce Lurk, a new LISP-based programming language for zk-SNARKs. Traditional approaches to programming over zero-knowledge proofs require compiling the desired computation into a flat circuit, imposing serious constraints on the size and complexity of computations that can be achieved in practice.

2023-03-15 / Posts

ConsensusDay 23: deadline extended to 19 Mar

We have already received a number of excellent submissions for ConsensusDay 23 but have decided to extend the submission deadline in order to accommodate several pending contributions. We will therefore be accepting submissions until the end of Sunday, 19 March, anywhere on earth.

Research areas

Our mission urges us to consider problems across multiple subject areas, both applied and theoretical. We pursue these problems in the open and share our results in recorded talks and published papers.

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Distributed systems

Distributed systems are, broadly speaking, networked systems whose components are located in different nodes that communicate and coordinate to achieve the system’s purpose. Distributed systems are at the very core of what we do and our interests extend across the entire field.

Cryptography

Modern cryptography plays an integral role in every aspect of online and electronic security, including providing evidence you’re speaking to the intended party and hindering spying on the subsequent communication. Cutting-edge cryptography tools will allow the creation of incredibly strong evidence that general information processing has been performed in a privacy-preserving and trustless way.

Cryptoeconomics

In any forum or marketplace where people can interact, the venue itself guides and constrains human interaction. Cryptoeconomics provides practices, tools, and knowledge that allow us to engineer the venue to achieve a goal.

Networking

Computer networks enable information to move across the globe. They are foundational to the world we live in and to the vast majority of our work. Our interests include transport and routing protocols, network security, p2p systems, publish-subscribe protocols, and network monitoring and simulation.

Metaresearch

Metaresearch is the investigation of how scientific innovation occurs. It encompases work in the history, philosophy, and economics of science; the effects of incentive systems in research; the evaluation and validation of scientific data; and the dissemination of scientific knowledge, among other fields.

Our People

We're a fully remote team distributed across the globe. We work with talented and intellectually curious people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives who share a passion for improving technology for humanity.

Meet the team