{"id":"yonatan-sompolonsky","hidden":false,"ipfs":"QmYoaw2EHWQMc48HWxzvHKfv3LnxUwZUMakD1fcZibx3wR","language":"en","transactionHash":"0x9f7b9311da126c9c60173285eed9870767af16031c2ebd4bd1d2673dbad4a1c9","created":"2023-05-16T14:17:40.912Z","updated":"2024-07-03T16:51:52.742Z","title":"Yonatan Sompolinsky","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.","content":"**Yonatan Sompolinsky** is an Israeli computer scientist, founding scientist at DAGLABS, research associate at Harvard University, and founder of [KASPA](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kaspa).[\\[9\\]](#cite-id-5eu5xadmge) He is known for his work on the GHOST (Greedy Heaviest-Observed Sub-Tree) protocol, the SPECTRE consensus algorithm, the PHANTOM/GHOSTDAG family of protocols, and the DAG KNIGHT protocol for high-throughput proof-of-work systems.[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-kiz4d55z57)​[\\[10\\]](#cite-id-omwby1nupa)​[\\[11\\]](#cite-id-ouy47r6ltz)​[\\[12\\]](#cite-id-es176iom2e) He was one of the early researchers whose GHOST protocol informed [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)'s original consensus design.[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-kiz4d55z57)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-aubrcscrod)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](qW9TmZTiahA)\n\n## Education\n\nYonatan Sompolinsky studied computer science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he completed his undergraduate and graduate studies and earned a Ph.D. in computer science with a focus on distributed systems and [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) consensus protocols.[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-kiz4d55z57)​[\\[10\\]](#cite-id-omwby1nupa) He later held a postdoctoral researcher position at Harvard University and is a research associate there, working on scalable proof-of-work consensus mechanisms for blockchains, including DAG-based protocols such as PHANTOM/GHOSTDAG and DAG KNIGHT.[\\[9\\]](#cite-id-5eu5xadmge)​\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 scalability limitations of traditional [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) consensus algorithms by modifying how the chain selects its main branch in the presence of frequent [block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/block) production, allowing higher block rates while maintaining security. It informed the design of several [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) systems, including aspects of [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)'s early consensus mechanism.[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-kiz4d55z57)​\n\nIn 2016, Sompolinsky continued to explore consensus algorithms for DAG-based systems. His research focused on defining efficient methods to order transactions and prevent conflicts in proof-of-work DAG protocols, leading to the SPECTRE (Serialization of Proof-of-work Events) consensus algorithm, co-authored with Aviv Zohar and others, which introduced a voting-based approach to reach probabilistic agreement on the ordering of blocks in a DAG.[\\[10\\]](#cite-id-omwby1nupa)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](DzXH4I8ncVs)\n\nIn 2021, Sompolinsky founded [KASPA](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kaspa), a [layer 1](https://iq.wiki/wiki/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).[\\[7\\]](#cite-id-j18l5lsctw)​\n\nBeyond GHOST and SPECTRE, Sompolinsky co-authored the PHANTOM/GHOSTDAG protocol family, which generalizes Nakamoto consensus to high-throughput DAG structures, and later co-authored the DAG KNIGHT protocol, a parameterless refinement of this approach designed to improve robustness and confirmation times in proof-of-work networks.[\\[11\\]](#cite-id-ouy47r6ltz)​[\\[12\\]](#cite-id-es176iom2e) In 2025 he articulated his vision of “real-time decentralization” in public talks, describing how high-frequency proof-of-work DAG consensus could enable near-instant settlement while preserving decentralization.[\\[13\\]](#cite-id-ubv1f0twk6) That same year he declined inclusion in [Binance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance)’s Blockchain 100 awards and an invitation to the associated ceremony, emphasizing the role of the Kaspa community in the vote and expressing a preference for cypherpunk-aligned, research-driven development over exchange-centered recognition.[\\[14\\]](#cite-id-jo7p230orf)​\n","recentActivity":null,"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in 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for Kaspa and declines Binance Blockchain 100 recognition.","link":"https://captainaltcoin.com/kaspa-founder-rejects-binance-top-100-blockchain-list-cites-kas-snub/","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"a45aedec-77ae-49a7-9437-4e3c81fc9dcd"}],"founderWikis":[],"blockchainWikis":[{"id":"kaspa","title":"KASPA"}],"metadata":[{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://twitter.com/hashdag"},{"id":"blocks-changed","value":"tags, events"},{"id":"wiki-score","value":"68"},{"id":"references","value":"[{\"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\":\"j18l5lsctw\",\"url\":\"https://hashdag.medium.com/kaspa-launch-plan-responding-to-reality-6b4bec449037\",\"description\":\"medium post on 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