Job details

Senior Researcher, Mechanism Design

Get a free resume review

Category Labs (formerly known as Monad Labs) is a team of systems engineers and researchers on a mission to design and build at the frontier of decentralized technology. We strive to design and build step-function improvements over existing blockchain solutions. After recently raising $225M in series A funding, led by Paradigm, we are growing our team.

The Role

We are looking for an exceptional Senior Researcher with significant academic and applied experience in economics, particularly in the context of permissionless blockchains. You will play a leading role in designing rules and mechanisms in Monad that keep the decentralized network running smoothly. You’ll be designing mechanisms that optimize for decentralization, economic security, spam prevention, compatibility with existing infrastructure, and ease of use.

You will work closely with our engineering team to design and test various mechanisms. You’ll draw on your extensive knowledge and opinions on mechanisms in existing blockchains to evaluate options for Monad’s design that optimize its security, decentralization, and performance. You’ll work on a variety of areas, such as transaction ordering, staking, and consensus. Most importantly, your work will help our team avoid security threats and the threat of centralization.

Your work will be vital to Monad’s success and will allow Monad to scale safely to hundreds of millions of users.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll design and evaluate mechanisms that optimize for economic security, decentralization, performance, compatibility with existing infrastructure, and ease of use. A few example areas include transaction ordering (PGA vs flashbots/PBS); staking; liquid staking; spam prevention; on-chain randomness; light clients.
You’ll evaluate potential attack vectors and evaluate ways to mitigate the threat of attacks.
You’ll advise the team on technical merits of other systems that are potential partners, such as bridges and DeFi protocols.
You’ll stay up to date on mechanism design in other blockchains and develop opinions on various practices
You’ll collaborate with our engineering team to design and test new mechanism options.
You’ll write about your findings for both internal and public audiences.

Who You Are

Prior experience/skills:

Excellent knowledge of mechanisms and policies in existing blockchains, with strong opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of existing mechanisms. Example areas we’d expect you to have good knowledge of:
- Transaction ordering/MEV (both mechanically how MEV “works” in Ethereum, including architectural changes post-Merge, and its consequences, e.g. to decentralization)
- Staking and economic security (delegation economics; slashing conditions; stake pools)
- Consensus mechanisms (pBFT, tendermint, Gasper)
- Spam prevention
- Trustlessness and decentralization (light clients; merkle proofs; security guarantees of various L1s and rollups)
Excellent knowledge of major DeFi primitives (AMMs, bridges, oracles, etc)
Excellent technical communication skills

Required personal attributes:

Extreme technical curiosity
Attention to detail
Creativity
Resourcefulness and independence
Clarity of thought
Enthusiasm about learning and teaching
Enthusiasm for Monad’s mission of enabling far more decentralized computation

Nice to have:

Previous experience at a L1 or L2 blockchain protocol
Experience with applied cryptography
Experience with distributed systems
Experience with game theory
Ability to code, e.g. for implementing simulations

Why Work with Us

Challenging problems. You’ll work on extremely challenging problems with massive impact.
Huge opportunity. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) standard is ubiquitous, but existing EVM-compatible chains are very slow. Monad’s core innovations offer developers the best of both worlds (portability and performance) and are a game-changer for mass user adoption in crypto.
The right team. You’ll be part of an exceptional team.
Culture. We’re a lean team working together to achieve very ambitious goals. We are united in our culture of collaboration, low egos, and high-quality outputs. As an early member of our team, you’ll help continue to shape our culture.
Compensation. You’ll receive a competitive salary and equity package.
Resources and growth. We’re well-capitalized, with backing from leading venture funds like Paradigm, Electric Capital, Greenoaks, Dragonfly, and Coinbase Ventures. We keep a lean team, and this is a rare opportunity to join. You’ll learn a lot and grow as our company scales.

Benefits

Company benefits for US-based full-time employees include medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% coverage for employees); unlimited and encouraged paid time off; monthly mental health and fitness stipend; paid parental leave; and 10 company-observed holidays.

What You Should Know About Senior Researcher, Mechanism Design, Category Labs

At Category Labs, formerly known as Monad Labs, we're on a thrilling quest to redefine the landscape of decentralized technology, and we're searching for an extraordinary Senior Researcher in Mechanism Design to join our team. With recent funding success of $225 million in Series A, led by Paradigm, we're set to amplify our work in developing next-generation blockchain solutions. In this role, you will be at the forefront of devising innovative mechanisms that ensure the seamless operation of our decentralized network. Your expertise in economics, particularly in permissionless blockchains, will be instrumental in optimizing our systems for decentralization, economic security, and ease of use. You'll delve into areas such as transaction ordering, staking, and consensus, addressing potential attack vectors and ensuring our solutions remain robust against threats. Collaboration will be key as you partner with our engineering team to test and refine these new mechanisms. Your insights into existing blockchain mechanisms will guide our design choices, helping Monad scale safely to accommodate millions of users. You'll also share your findings through writing for both our internal teams and public audiences. If you have an unyielding curiosity for decentralized computation and possess an impressive background in blockchain mechanisms, Category Labs is the place for you to make an impact!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Senior Researcher, Mechanism Design Role at Category Labs

What responsibilities does the Senior Researcher, Mechanism Design have at Category Labs?

As a Senior Researcher in Mechanism Design at Category Labs, your responsibilities include designing and evaluating economic security, decentralization, and performance mechanisms for our blockchain. You'll analyze transaction ordering, staking, and consensus mechanisms to optimize our network. Additionally, you'll work closely with our engineering team, evaluate potential attack vectors, and provide insights on partnerships with other systems, all while communicating your findings effectively to both internal teams and external audiences.