Sergei Tikhomirov, Lyce Technique d'Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg28 March 2017

Computer Science @ Uni.lu

Who is a Researcher?

Answering Unanswered Questions

If we knew what it was we were doing,it would not be called research

Outline

My research topic

Features of academic career

Opportunities in Luxembourg and beyond

Who am I

Sergei Tikhomirov, 25 yo, from Moscow, Russia

MS in applied math (Moscow State University)

PhD candidate @ Uni.lu since Oct 2016

My Research Topic: Cryptoeconomics

Bitcoin: Digital Cash Without Banks

Decentralized network based on blockchain

Cleverly combines cryptography & economics

Profitable to be honest!

Ethereum: Smart Contracts

Write financial contracts in special language

Network stores and executes them

No bank required

Computer Science Aspects

Cryptographic algorithms: signatures, hashes

Network protocols

Programming languages

Economic Aspects

Game Theory: participants motivations

Economics: fee size, supply of coins

Finance: exchange rate

Security Is Important

Open network with money at stake

New languages and tools

Easy to make a disastrous mistake

Promises and Challenges

Exciting field of study: crypto meets economics

Disruptive tech: global digital financial system

Auto-executed smart contracts without banks

Programmers replace lawyers (maybe)

Thorough research needed to get it right

Reading Requires Whiteboard

Academic Career

Student

PhD student

Post-doc

Associate professor

Full professor

You can go to industry (and back) any time

Advantages

Creative tasks

Smart colleagues

Traveling to conferences

Pushing the Boundary

Daily Life of a Researcher

Keep track of new research

Read relevant papers

Discuss with colleagues

Propose and test solutions

Write a paper

Prepare a talk

Present at a conference

Teach students

My Workplace

Opportunities in Luxembourg

Computer science among key areas

Expanding university (new buildings, new staff)

International environment (87% foreign researchers)

Collaboration with the industry

Example of Collaboration

Chair in Digital Financial Services (PayPal + FNR + Uni.lu)

Do your own Research!

fnr.luuni.luscience.lucryptolux.orgs-tikhomirov.github.io

Image Credits

Question mark: Acdx https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_mark2.svg

Einstein photo: Oren Jack Turner / The Library of Congress https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_1947.jpg

MSU photo: Dmitry A. Mottl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moscow_State_University.jpg

Bitcoin visualization: Davidstankiewicz https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bitcoin_Network_Blue_4k.jpg

Ethereum logo: Ethereum Foundation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ethereum_logo_2014.svg

Bitcoin hashing scheme: N. Courtois, M. Grajek, R. Naik https://arxiv.org/abs/1310.7935

Bitcoin price: Coindesk http://www.coindesk.com/price/

Valletta photo: allen watkin https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HDR_Valletta_(9985964763).jpg

Bubble of knowledge: Matt Might https://smarthistoryblog.org/2015/07/26/smarthistory-is-for-professors-and-instructors-too/

Belval photo: Zinneke https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belval,_Luxembourg,_seen_from_the_West_2013-08.JPG

FinTech Chair photo: University of Luxembourg http://wwwen.uni.lu/universite/actualites/a_la_une/new_chair_in_digital_financial_services_to_be_established

Workplace photo, Whiteboard photo: Sergei Tikhomirov