Research Cryptographer & Mathematician

Full-Time/Company: Heliax

Heliax is a remote-first company that researches, develops, deploys, and maintains open-source protocols and products (notably Anoma and Namada) aimed at providing privacy-preserving, alternative coordination and finance systems.

Applicants must be based in Europe (including the UK) and willing to travel to Berlin for initial onboarding.

Responsibilities:

- Design new cryptographic protocols (e.g. shielded state sync) to meet specified information flow, security, and performance goals
- Evaluate and analyze existing zkSNARK/zkSTARK systems for security, expressivity, and performance
- Update, reimplement, and combine cryptographic protocols for proofs-of-concept and production use-cases
- Produce comprehensive technical specifications and collaborate with engineers on implementations
- Implement, review, and test cryptographic operations and protocols, primarily in Rust

Requirements:

- Strong mathematical/cryptographic background (complexity theory, abstract algebra, protocol design)
- Expertise in constructive protocol design and analysis of distributed cryptographic protocols
- Experience evaluating security and performance of proof systems (e.g. zkSNARKs/zkSTARKs)
- Experience implementing or reviewing cryptographic code (Rust preferred)

Nice to have:

- Published papers in mathematics, theoretical CS, or cryptography
- Experience with distributed systems and/or operating systems architecture
- Experience with Zerocash/Zexe/VeriZexe and related architectures
- Relevant academic qualifications in cryptography or mathematics

Stack:

Rust, zkSNARKs, zkSTARKs, Halo2, ProtoStar, RISC0 zkVM, Arkworks, DKG/threshold crypto, elliptic curves

Benefits:

- Remote-first working model
- Relocation assistance to Germany (visa help) and support for onboarding travel to Berlin
- High degree of independence in working conditions and task prioritization

📩 Apply