{"id":"yonatan-sompolonsky","version":1,"language":"en","title":"Yonatan Sompolinsky","hidden":false,"content":"**Yonatan Sompolinsky** is an Israeli computer scientist, founding scientist at DAGLABS, and founder of [KASPA](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kaspa). He was one of the researchers behind the GHOSTDAG protocol in [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)'s original roadmap.[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-aubrcscrod)  \n$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](qW9TmZTiahA)$$  \n  \n# Education  \n  \nIn 2013, Yonatan Sompolinsky began his studies at the Hebrew University, studying computer science. He completed his undergraduate degree and continued to earn his Ph.D. from the same institution until 2018. During his time at Harvard as a Postdoctoral researcher, Sompolinsky focused on the GHOSTDAG protocol, which aimed to enhance scalability and security in blockchain networks. [\\[7\\]](#cite-id-tvadxnlx2lr)  \n$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](2Vz7Xqe2Mz8)$$  \n  \n# Career  \n  \nIn 2013, Yonatan Sompolinsky, along with his advisor Aviv Zohar, proposed the GHOST (Greedy Heaviest Observed Sub-Tree) protocol. The GHOST protocol addresses the scalability limitations of traditional [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) consensus algorithms by introducing a more efficient approach to reaching consensus. It has played a pivotal role in the development of various blockchain systems, particularly those utilizing [Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/directed-acyclic-graph-dag) structures. [\\[9\\]](#cite-id-kiz4d55z57)  \n  \nIn 2016, Yonatan Sompolinsky was actively involved in exploring and advancing consensus algorithms for DAG-based systems. His research has focused on finding efficient ways to order transactions and prevent conflicts in DAG protocols which led to him publishing The SPECTRE (Serialization of Proof-of-work Events) consensus algorithm, co-authored by Aviv Zohar. The crypto and blockchain community quickly gained interest in Yonatan's work after these papers were released and began asking for a project of his own to be launched. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-vaw0xjmybas)  \n$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](DzXH4I8ncVs)$$  \nIn 2021, Sompolinsky founded [KASPA](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kaspa), a layer 1 [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) that operates on a [proof-of-work](https://iq.wiki/wiki/proof-of-work-pow) system and incorporates the PHANTOM/GHOSTDAG protocol, and uses a [Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/directed-acyclic-graph-dag). [\\[8\\]](#cite-id-j18l5lsctw)  \n$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](pTxyCsC5_rU)$$","summary":"Yonatan Sompolinsky is an Israeli computer scientist known for his work on the GHOST protocol and is the founding scientist at DAGLABS and founder of KASPA.","categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in crypto"}],"promoted":0,"tags":[{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"Developers"}],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"lxzchbaqwtr\",\"url\":\"https://www.youtube.com/live/qW9TmZTiahA?feature=share\",\"description\":\"An interview with Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky where he answers questions about his work relating to KASPA and the DAG.\",\"timestamp\":1684246201387},{\"id\":\"aubrcscrod\",\"url\":\"https://cointelegraph.com/news/researchers-propose-new-version-of-scalable-blockchain-alternative\",\"description\":\"An article by cointelegraph on Kaspa\",\"timestamp\":1684246750529},{\"id\":\"n1p88adv46q\",\"url\":\"https://comparic.com/yonatan-sompolinsky-rethink-trust-mass-adoption-real-world-use-cases-blockchain-goal-must-rethink-trust/\",\"description\":\"Sompolinsky at \\\"Rethink trust\\\"' 2018\",\"timestamp\":1684246872191},{\"id\":\"vaw0xjmybas\",\"url\":\"https://tokens-economy.gitbook.io/consensus/chain-based-others/serialization-of-proof-of-work-events-confirming-transactions-via-recursive-elections\",\"description\":\"consensus link\",\"timestamp\":1686457309982},{\"id\":\"lxc6n47c1w9\",\"url\":\"https://tokens-economy.gitbook.io/consensus/chain-based-others/serialization-of-proof-of-work-events-confirming-transactions-via-recursive-elections\",\"description\":\"SPECTRE\",\"timestamp\":1686457355610},{\"id\":\"uad5p29xap\",\"url\":\"https://wiki.iota.org/learn/about-iota/tangle\",\"description\":\"iota link\",\"timestamp\":1686457621861},{\"id\":\"tvadxnlx2lr\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonatan-sompolinsky-31402a167/?originalSubdomain=il\",\"description\":\"Linkedin\",\"timestamp\":1690992278772},{\"id\":\"j18l5lsctw\",\"url\":\"https://hashdag.medium.com/kaspa-launch-plan-responding-to-reality-6b4bec449037\",\"description\":\"medium post on launch\",\"timestamp\":1690993382046},{\"id\":\"kiz4d55z57\",\"url\":\"https://eprint.iacr.org/2013/881.pdf\",\"description\":\"GHOST paper\",\"timestamp\":1690993504971}]"},{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://twitter.com/hashdag"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmdxMqqWvbxyotwFbhbC7f2RKjuN6gCTojv1Bipqkuxa4F"}],"user":{"id":"0xabb33BDb17167724D27FaF912F30ecc6E39f8E95"},"author":{"id":"0xE118eF1959bcbf7C2083f61E30124be3e01e1975","profile":{"username":"Mymah","avatar":""}},"media":[{"name":"9v5h3PK04JQ","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v5h3PK04JQ","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"W2vSNVz_GEQ","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2vSNVz_GEQ","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"2Vz7Xqe2Mz8","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vz7Xqe2Mz8","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"qW9TmZTiahA","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW9TmZTiahA","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"DzXH4I8ncVs","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXH4I8ncVs","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"pTxyCsC5_rU","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTxyCsC5_rU","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"}],"views":5245,"events":[{"title":"Early Years and Research","description":"early years and research","type":"DEFAULT","date":"2013-11","link":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blockhash-podcast/episodes/Dr--Yonatan-Sompolinsky---Founding-Scientist-of-DAGlabs-e12tf4t","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null},{"title":"Contribution to scalability and security","description":"Kaspas' contribution to security and scalability.","type":"DEFAULT","date":"2021-11","link":"https://uphold.com/blog/crypto-basics/what-is-kaspa-how-does-it-work","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null},{"title":"Community engagement and Collaboration","description":"Youtube video about the open source nature of Kaspa.","type":"DEFAULT","date":"2022-10","link":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zigw6Is2iVE","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null},{"title":"Creation and Launch of Kaspa","description":"Kaspa was launched in November 2003","type":"CREATED","date":"2023-11","link":"https://kaspa.org/","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null}],"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":["kaspa"]},"ipfs":"QmdxMqqWvbxyotwFbhbC7f2RKjuN6gCTojv1Bipqkuxa4F","transactionHash":"0x8db069b9aa7052a9b5b72decafd57d49f65c7cff3cfefe6094e0a99a98436159","created":"2023-05-16T14:17:40.912Z","updated":"2024-07-02T15:13:08.024Z","images":[{"id":"QmVU9cMJfNKY4adVK8da79veJ3TiFYgJ6uKCKMQdpSdZS8","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}]}