About Me

A dedicated and academically accomplished graduate with a deep-rooted interest in blockchain and cryptography, beginning from high school and leading to advanced degrees at the University of Edinburgh. With solid research experience improving the security features of blockchain systems, and a keen understanding of their underlying mechanisms, I am eager to further explore and contribute to the advancement of secure and efficient digital systems across diverse sectors.

Contact Details

Edinburgh, Xiangyang, Wuhan
+44 (0) 7916114025
0x.wenxingduan [at] gmail.com

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PGP

266E B5CF 44CC D0F2 2C73
0CD1 7500 A737 A8C1 1046

Education

the University of Edinburgh

MSc Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust • 09/2023 - 09/2024

the University of Edinburgh

BSc Computer Science • 09/2019 - 06/2023

Wuhan Maple Leaf International School

High School • 09/2016 - 06/2019

Work

Story

Research Fellow • 12/2024 - Present

  • Collaborate with engineering leads to identify and address opportunities for improvement across Story’s blockchain stack.
  • Propose and develop innovative research topics, strategies, and approaches.
  • Present findings and thought leadership on the latest blockchain developments through internal talks and external forums.
  • Publish in-depth research reports on blockchain technology, cryptography, and decentralized systems.
  • Design and implement proof-of-concept projects to validate research findings and explore new opportunities.

China Telecom Quantum Information Technology Group Co.

Cryptography Research and Development Intern • 09/2024 - 11/2024

  • Studied various side-channel attacks, including timing analysis, power analysis, and electromagnetic attacks.
  • Utilized the ChipWhisperer platform to perform Differential Power Analysis (DPA) and Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) on chip-based RSA and AES algorithms.
  • Replicated implementations of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms CRYSTALS-Dilithium and CRYSTALS-Kyber, and reproduced research on side-channel attacks against these algorithms.
  • Gained understanding of common defense techniques against side-channel attacks, including masking and random delay techniques, and developed targeted attack strategies for these defenses.
  • Contributed to the establishment of the company’s Side-Channel Security Laboratory, completed industry research, and authored project reports.

Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science

Junior Research Assistant • 06/2023 - 08/2023

  • Undertook a comprehensive quantum computing analysis, building upon my prior dissertation, under the expert guidance of Dr. Raul Garcia-Patron Sanchez. The work aimed at providing deeper insights into experimental data sourced from Google's pioneering Sycamore 53-qubit quantum computer.
  • In my previous research, significant patterns and anomalies in Fourier weight outputs were identified, highlighting potential discrepancies in large qubit analysis and illuminating areas for further study.
  • My subsequent study pivoted towards these anomalies, aiming to understand and elucidate the underlying causes and their implications. This investigative endeavor encompassed rigorous data analysis, leading to insightful observations pivotal for quantum computing research.
  • Beyond addressing prior findings, I ventured into refining analytical methods from my dissertation. A particular focus was establishing relationships between quantum system dynamics and specific parameters, enhancing the depth and applicability of my research outcomes.

Nethermind

Cryptography & Blockchain Research Intern • 06/2022 - 09/2022

  • Participated in the protocol research of the next phase of the Lido project
  • Studied and analysed current mainstream oracle protocols, including DECO, Town Crier, Chainlink, Provable, etc.
  • Participated in the research of decentralized identity (Decentralized Identity), and learned and analyzed other feasible solutions for on-chain identity, including CanDID, soulbound token, verifiable credentials, etc.
  • Learned the relevant knowledge of zero-knowledge proof and participated in the formulation of the trustless verification framework scheme for the next stage of Lido.
  • Wrote a smart contract to measure the performance of ETH2.0 validators using the Provable oracle.
  • Improved proficiency in Solidity; grasped the most advanced trustless oracle model in the industry, improved understanding of zero-knowledge proofs, and learn about the latest developments in the field of decentralized identity.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Summer Research Intern • 06/2021 - 09/2021

  • Participated in “China Software Cup” as a member of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology team
  • Coordinated the 4-person team in the project “Hazardous Agricultural Pest Recognition System”, which earned us National Second Prize
  • Studied and researched the academic literature on cutting-edge research into fine-grained recognition with Associate Professor Tang He
  • Developed an identification system of harmful agricultural pests based on fine-grained identification
  • Responsible for back-end development and machine vision development
  • Mastered knowledge of back-end development, improved knowledge of database SQLite, grasped the principles and applications of machine vision
  • Utilized Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Recurrent Attention Convolutional Neural Network, SQLite

Shanghai Zhuofan Technology Co., Ltd.

Backend Development Intern • 06/2020 - 09/2020

  • Participated in the backend service and system maintenance of Xiangyang Municipal Affairs Service Network
  • Assisted senior engineers in the development and maintenance of the "Hubei Government Affairs Approval Platform" project
  • Assisted in testing a number of new functions including automatic query webpage generation, data transfer.
  • Supported senior engineers by processing, analyzing, and cleaning platform data using Python script.
  • Participated in testing the database of the Xiangyang government's mobile staff management app "Ehuiban"
  • Improved understanding of the production and testing processes of regular software manufacturers an grasped the operating principles of numerous website backgrounds

Skills & Interests

Professional Skills/ Programming Languages: Proficient in Python, Flask, Solidity, C, Java, Haskell, all Microsoft Office suite applications, Premiere, After Effects, Audition, Photoshop
Languages: English, Chinese
Interests: Cryptography/ Blockchain fanatic, machine vision, monitoring financial markets, ZKP, compilers, travel encompassing EU/USA/ Asia, archery

  • Python
  • Solidity
  • Java
  • C
  • Cairo
  • Haskell

Academic Awards

PolyU Research Postgraduate Scholarship

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University• 03/2025

Research Excellence Scholarship

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University• 03/2025

Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis

The University of Edinburgh • 05/2023

China Software Cup

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology | Second Prize • 09/2021

Canadian Computing Competition

University of Waterloo | Certificate of Distinction • 03/2019

Euclid Mathematics Contest

University of Waterloo | Certificate of Distinction • 03/2019

Australian Mathematics Competition

Australian Maths Trust | Certificate of Distinction • 11/2018

Hypatia Mathematics Contest

University of Waterloo | Certificate of Distinction • 03/2018

Galois Mathematics Contest

University of Waterloo | Certificate of Distinction • 03/2017

Xiangyang Science and Technology Competition

Xiangyang Science and Technology Bureau | Science and Technology Innovation Practice Award • 09/2016

The 17th "China Mobile 'He Education' Cup"

National Center for Educational Technology | Second Prize • 07/2016

National Youth Robot Competition

China Association For Science And Technology | Third Prize • 09/2015

Xiangyang Youth Science and Technology Festival

Xiangyang Association For Science And Technology | First Prize • 01/2015

Hubei Adolescents Science & Technology Innovation Contest

Hubei Association For Science And Technology | First Prize • 06/2014

Client Testimonials

  • Make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick.

    Terence McKenna
    (Message from the last Ethereum PoW block)