Research Developer

Research Developer Dunya Labs is a deep tech product company currently focused on building infrastructure, developer tooling and middleware for deploying scalable blockchain applications. We combine a theoretical research team with a product team to lead cutting-edge developments in the blockchain space. Seeking a diligent, passionate and detailed-oriented Research Developer to drive theoretical research into various blockchain protocols and help ideate potential products. At Dunya Labs, you will be contributing to impactful solutions that can enable the decentralized world. We strongly prefer candidates who have strong academic research backgrounds and deep interest in blockchain technology - candidates who are agile and able to work in undefined areas. Key Responsibilities: The Research Team at Dunya Labs is focused on pioneering foundational research in blockchain technologies and use-cases. We explore the following: ● Foundational Research. Staying aware and updated on major cryptographic and theoretical computer science developments, including but not limited to: zero-knowledge, multiparty computation, new cryptographic primitives, transformers, and more. ● Protocol Research. Deep-dives into up-and-coming blockchain protocols through whitepaper analysis and discussions with the protocol teams themselves. ● Scaling. Sharding, Layer-2 Scaling (e.g. Lightning, Raiden), non-blockchain distributed networks, applications of discoveries and constructions in recent cryptography papers ● Privacy. Transactional privacy and data feed privacy on public blockchains (e.g. zk-snarks) ● Governance. Implications and results of on-chain and off-chain governance ● Smart Contract Standards/Security. Automation, formal verification, and termination of smart contracts Qualifications: ● Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Mathematics or a technical field. Masters/PhD preferred. ● Research or development experience in network security, algorithms, or theoretical computer science and mathematics ● Knowledge of distributed systems, game theory and/or cryptography is strongly preferred ● Record of academic publishing in related conferences and/or journals a plus Skills and Competencies: ● Ability to work creatively and independently on long-term technical problems ● You learn quickly and apply new skills effectively ● Ability to collaborate with other researchers and developers ● Brilliant analytical and problem solving skills, especially algorithmic knowledge Preferred Qualifications ● You work well with data and can use machine-learning tools to analyze datasets. ● Ability to code at a high level in C, C++, Python, Golang, Rust or any other common programming language ● Strong performance in competitive programming (TopCoder, HackerRank, CodeChef, Olympiads - IOI, INOI) WHAT WE OFFER: ● A collaborative environment for working with like-minded researchers and developers who carry out implementation of theoretical research results ● Opportunities to work with top research institutes such as ISI Cryptography, IISc and institutions abroad ● Highly competitive salary, healthcare benefits and other perks ● Flat organization with freedom to pursue desired research ABOUT DUNYA LABS: Today, we live in a world where the power of digital data is asymmetrically collected and held by a small handful of companies and political entities. These companies and entities also act as increasingly powerful intermediaries that enable, authenticate and settle digital transactions– of property, currency, identity/reputation, and many other forms of digital data. Blockchain, or cryptographically-secured replicated databases, has the potential to decentralize the transfer of value over the Internet, creating secure, decentralized peer-to-peer economies of trust. By doing so, blockchain disintermediates traditional industries, taking out rent-seeking middlemen who levy taxes on end-users as verifiers, trust-providers or settlors of transactions. Imagine a currency without a central bank (Bitcoin), a portable digital identity without a centralized authenticator (uPort), or a peer-to-peer global file storage system without reliance on centralized cloud-based server providers (Filecoin). Thus far, the “blockchain revolution” has been powered by speculative investment and misunderstanding. But we at Dunya Labs believe that innovations in cryptographically secured, replicated networks are maturing, and the exploration of blockchain as a foundational technology is moving into a mature phase driven by research and execution. Many esteemed academics and cryptographers have joined the field, including Silvio Micali (Algorand), Benn Lynn of BLS Signature Scheme (DFINITY), Andrew Yao (Conflux), Xinmin Luo (DFINITY), Dan Boneh, and more. We are building a knowledge company that focuses on just research and execution. Our mission is to bring blockchain use-cases to market.