Efficient and Trustless Algorithms for Blockchain Protocols: Decentralized Randomness, Optimal Mining, and Gas Optimization

PhD Thesis Proposal Defence


Title: "Efficient and Trustless Algorithms for Blockchain Protocols:
Decentralized Randomness, Optimal Mining, and Gas Optimization"

by

Miss Togzhan BARAKBAYEVA


Abstract:

Blockchain is a distributed ledger maintained by decentralized networks, in 
which mutually distrusting nodes reach consensus on a shared history of 
transactions. With the advent of programmable blockchains and smart 
contracts, this technology has grown from a means of transferring digital 
currency into a platform for decentralized applications. In this setting, 
participants have well-defined monetary payoffs and act strategically to 
maximize them, so the design of protocols and smart contracts becomes a 
delicate task: a protocol must be secure, trustless, and incentive- 
compatible, while remaining efficient and affordable to run on-chain. Because 
on-chain computation is paid for through gas, controlling gas usage is 
central to making any protocol practical, and poor design can lead to 
financial loss, manipulation, and reliance on trusted intermediaries.

This thesis develops algorithms, protocols, and mechanisms that address these 
challenges across several fundamental problems in the blockchain setting. We 
study the decentralized generation of random numbers, the optimization of 
miner revenue during block construction, the trustless implementation of 
game-theoretic mechanisms, and the reduction of the gas usage of compiled 
smart contracts. Throughout, we combine techniques from algorithms, 
cryptography, game theory, and software engineering, and accompany our 
designs with formal guarantees and experimental evaluation on real-world 
data.


Date:                   Monday, 27 July 2026

Time:                   3:00pm - 4:00pm

Venue:                  Room 5504
                        Lift 25/26

Committee Members:      Dr. Dimitris Papadopoulos (Supervisor)
                        Dr. Amir Goharshady (Co-supervisor, Oxford)
                        Dr. Mingxun Zhou (Chairperson)
                        Prof. Charles Zhang