🧑🎓️PhD Candidate in Security of Blockchains
About Me
I am a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Duke University, advised by Prof. Kartik Nayak and Prof. Fan Zhang, graduating in May 2026. My research is at the intersection of cryptography, algorithmic game theory, and blockchain systems, with a focus on designing incentive-compatible mechanisms for decentralized applications. I work on problems related to censorship resistance, transaction fee markets, and multi-proposer execution in modern blockchains. My recent projects include an Auction-Based Inclusion List Design (AUCIL), a censorhip-resistant sealed-bid auction platform, a fee-mechanism design which captures the execution uncertainty of transactions, and an analysis of how censorship resistance is necessarily a trade-off with throughput of the system. Broadly, I am motivated by understanding how cryptography and mechanism design can jointly overcome strategic manipulation in DeFi systems. Outside of research, I enjoy fantasy novels and anime, and am learning to play indian flute.
- Blockchains
- Game Theory
- Consensus
- Security
PhD Computer Science
Duke University
Integrated B. Tech. and M. Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
My research aims to understand and mitigate the security challenges introduced by strategic privileged players (e.g., block proposers) in decentralized systems. My projects explore both application-specific solutions for incentive manipulation and application-agnostic schemes for Miner’s Extractable Value (MEV) reduction. Overall, my goal is to develop principled methods to achieve accountable decentralized protocols, particularly in the presence of adversarial incentive manipulation attacks.
Please reach out to collaborate 😃
