Cryptography Research Intern

About the Ethereum Foundation

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Ethereum and related technologies. Our mission is to do what is best for Ethereum’s long-term success. Our role is to allocate resources to critical projects, to be a valued voice within the Ethereum ecosystem, and to advocate for Ethereum to the outside world.

EF Internship

As part of our mission to advance blockchain systems, interns will contribute to bleeding edge research that spans computer science, distributed systems, crypto-economics, and mechanism design. This program offers a unique opportunity to work closely with Ethereum Foundation researchers, their collaborators, and other contributors across the ecosystem, tackling both foundational and applied research challenges. Interns will also have opportunities to share their findings through ethresear.ch, academic publications, or conference submissions helping shape the future of Ethereum.

Interns can choose to work remotely but are encouraged to work out of an EF office (likely Berlin, Germany). In addition, interns will be invited for an in-person cohort meetup in the summer.

The duration of the internship is 12 weeks during summer 2026.

Cryptography Research team description

We design and analyze cryptographic primitives critical to Ethereum’s roadmap, advise protocol and client teams on security choices, and publish peer-reviewed results that keep the Ethereum at the bleeding edge of cryptography research.

Resources:

- Paper: Data Matching in Unequal Worlds and Applications to Smart Contracts

- Event: Cryptanalysis of Algebraic Hash Functions

- Post: zkFOCIL: Inclusion List Privacy using Linkable Ring Signatures

- Paper: At the Top of the Hypercube – Better Size-Time Tradeoffs for Hash-Based Signatures

- Article: Computer Scientists Figure Out How To Prove Lies

More on the EF Protocol cluster: https://protocol.ethereum.foundation/

• Math foundations: discrete math, probability, linear algebra, and finite fields
• Cryptography basics: security definitions (completeness/soundness/knowledge soundness), random-oracle reasoning, collision resistance, and commitments/hashes
• Hash functions & trade-offs: understand SHA-256 vs SNARK-friendly hashes (e.g., Poseidon)
• Strong coding knowledge in at least one systems language (Rust/C++/Go)

• Conduct original research in areas relevant to Ethereum and decentralized technologies.
• Collaborate with Ethereum Foundation researchers and contributors to address pressing technical and conceptual challenges.
• Contribute to public-facing materials, such as blog posts, white papers, and technical reports, to share research outcomes.
• Engage with the broader research community through discussions, seminars, and collaborations.

• Current university enrollment studying a relevant field such as computer science, cryptography, mathematics, or economics. Very recent graduates (~1 year) may also be considered.
• Demonstrated interest in Ethereum, blockchains, and decentralized technologies.

Important dates:

This application closes on Dec 1st, 2025. Applicants will receive decisions by January 30th, 2026.