Zero Knowledge Research Engineer

About Vac

Vac is a principle-driven research and development group that provides technical support to each IFT startup. It comprises elite specialists in distributed systems, zero-knowledge proofs, and P2P networking, produces specifications for IFT startups, and undertakes comprehensive protocol testing. Like the IFT and the startups with which it works, a commitment to liberty, censorship resistance, security, privacy, decentralisation, and inclusivity guides Vac’s R&D efforts.

Vac builds public good protocols for the decentralized web.
We do applied research based on which we build protocols, libraries and publications.

The role

In this role, you will be responsible implementing and analysing components of zero knowledge argument systems and architectures for private computation.
The ideal candidate should be well-versed in zero-knowledge circuits written in Rust, with the ability to adapt to evolving research needs.
Your responsibilities will include implementing zero-knowledge circuits and writing comprehensive specifications.
Additionally, your role will involve measuring the performance of circuits, while also possessing the skills to debug and optimize as needed.
Join us in pushing the boundaries of private computation technology and contribute to groundbreaking advancements in the field of ZK argument systems.

Key responsibilities 

• Implement and analyze components of ZK argument systems and architectures for private computation.
• Write specifications and communicate analysis results through write-ups.
• Break down complex problems, and know what can and what can’t be dealt with later.
• Measure performance of and debug circuits.

You ideally will have

• Very strong engineering background.
• Very strong Rust skills.
• Experience in implementing components of zero-knowledge argument systems and related technologies (zk-SNARK, circom, Nova, Plonk/Halo2, zk-STARK).
• Keen communicator, eager to share your work in a wide variety of contexts, like internal and public presentations, blog posts and academic papers.
• Experience in, and passion for, blockchain technology.
• A strong alignment to our principles.

Bonus points if 

• Deep understanding of zero-knowledge argument systems and related technologies (zk-SNARK, circom, Nova, Plonk/Halo2, zk-STARK), elliptic curve cryptography, and circuit design.
• Experience with Open Source software.

[Don’t worry if you don’t meet all of these criteria, we’d still love to hear from you anyway if you think you’d be a great fit for this role. Just explain to us why in your cover letter].

Hiring process 

The hiring process for this role will be:

1. Interview with our POps team
2. Interview with team member from the Vac team
3. Pair programming task with the Vac team
4. Interview with Vac team lead

The steps may change along the way if we see it makes sense to adapt the interview stages, so please consider the above as a guideline.

Compensation

The expected compensation range for this role is negotiable, dependent on how we assess your skills and experience throughout our interview process. We are happy to pay in any mix of fiat/crypto.