Roger Wattenhofer - Science, Academia, and the Blockchain

Roger Wattenhofer speaks about how Bitcoin and blockchain technology entered academia, what we have learned in the ten years of the existence of blockchain technology, why the blockchain is an old idea, how companies collaborate with universities on blockchain research projects, voting on the blockchain, identity on the blockchain, why "nothing requires a blockchain", the challenge for Bitcoin sidechains, why many academic blockchain projects don't make the jump to the real world, things we're probably underestimating about cryptocurrencies, a thought experiment for bank accounts on a blockchain, how blockchains could improve democracies, and much more. Roger is a full professor at the Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Department at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland. His research interests are a variety of algorithmic and systems aspects in computer science and information technology, such as distributed systems, positioning systems, wireless networks, mobile systems, and social networks. His work received multiple awards, such as the Prize for Innovation in Distributed Computing, and he has also published the book “Distributed Ledger Technology: The Science of the Blockchain“. Roger Wattenhofer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-wattenhofer-4466731/ Distributed Computing (DISCO) at ETH Zurich: https://disco.ethz.ch/members/wroger Book "Distributed Ledger Technology: The Science of the Blockchain": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28919062-the-science-of-the-blockchain Many thanks to our advertisers who support this podcast! This episode is brought to you by Crypto Storage. Crypto Storage offers a proprietary solution to enable Professional storage of Crypto Assets. The storage is secure both physically and digitally on the highest-grade hardware security modules with detailed configuration possibilities for individual - based access control. To learn more visit: www.cryptostorage.ch This episode is brought to you by Descartes Finance. Descartes is the leading Swiss digital wealth manager, providing its products and services to individuals, family offices, charitable organizations, banks, and asset managers. Its investment strategies lead the way. They harness the latest know-how as only a digital investment advisor can. To learn more, please visit www.descartes-finance.com.