Protocol Labs Research is excited to announce that Marko Vukolić is joining us to establish and lead the ConsensusLab, which will explore and develop methods of coordinating distributed systems.

We asked Marko why he decided to join PL Research, what he will be working on, and to share his thoughts about future technological developments:

How did you decide to join Protocol Labs?

PL is one of the rare organizations which puts the “distributed systems” aspect of blockchains and decentralized systems first. I was also attracted by the magnitude of research challenges that I would face here at PL, and by PL’s approach to intellectual property, which I found very attractive. Also, during my conversations with PL, I was recommended 4 amazing books to read. Whoever recommends you an excellent book – you could consider him your friend. Who recommends 4 excellent books - is a already a really good friend!

What problems are you most interested in?

I am interested in (inter)planet-scale distributed systems; maximizing performance; and understanding security, consistency and availability tradeoffs. I like to combine these problems with game-theoretical and economic constraints and incentives.

What future technology are you most excited about?

I am most excited to see how the technology of decentralization we are working on – pioneered by Nakamoto’s Proof-of-Work – is going to impact the future of humanity. I deeply believe that this technology can help bring more good to life on planet Earth. The link might not be immediately evident, but it is enlightening to realize.