At Matter Labs, we believe freedom drives progress and prosperity. We don’t see ourselves as a company, but as a team aligned around a single mission: to advance personal freedom for all (see ZK Credo).
To achieve this goal, we’re building zkSync — a credibly neutral, fully open source technology stack and network on top of Ethereum, which is owned and governed by its community. We use advanced cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs to scale Ethereum infinitely without compromising on security or decentralization. With a world-class team, a community of over 1M supporters across Twitter + Discord, and hundreds of millions $ in funding, we have abundant resources to accomplish the mission.
The Role
PhD interns play a vital role in research organisations, and this significance holds particularly true in the field of blockchains, which encompasses various disciplines. At Matter Labs, our work spans a wide range of areas, including applied machine learning, applied cryptography, and numerous systems domains such as consensus, verification, compilers, and networking, among others. We are actively seeking PhD students specialising in these fields, who are enthusiastic about the prospect of their ideas finding a welcoming environment within a rapidly expanding layer-2 blockchain ecosystem.
What You'll Be Doing
As part of your role, you will engage in conducting experiments, collaborating with academics and engineers, generating innovative ideas, and determining ways to enhance the current state of the field. This involves keeping up with the latest research published in papers and staying informed about the advancements made by dynamic startups operating in our domain. Typically, we appreciate the emergence of research papers resulting from internships at the PhD level.
What We Look For in You
We are seeking individuals who possess pertinent expertise, as evident from their recent research outcomes like papers, and who are also enthusiastic about tackling challenges head-on until a solution is found. We are interested in individuals who strike a balance between academic excellence and a practical mindset.
Working at Matter Labs
At Matter Labs, you have the freedom to work how you want, when you want, and from where you want. All positions are 100% remote (with optional travel to team and/or industry events). We operate in lean and nimble teams, with no time tracking and minimum bureaucracy. We move fast. Only results matter. We will provide you with everything you need to learn, grow, and be productive.
Our results-only environment means anyone who believes in our mission can join us, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, and age. Both our team and community are made up of people from diverse backgrounds. That's why, out of politeness and respect, we refrain from opinions on politics, religion, or sex at the workplace.
We designed our culture around the tenants of freedom and ownership. This ethos will underpin our positive-sum community as we evolve toward full decentralization.
If this role resonates with you, apply now for prompt feedback.
Important: We are remote-first, operating in the timezones between UTC-5 (Latam and Atlantic Coast) to UTC+7 (South-East Asia). While we’re currently not hiring in the US, we do consider US-based applicants willing to relocate.