Mehdi Beriane

I am a ZKP Researcher and Blockchain Developer with over 4 years of experience in blockchain technology, smart contract development, and zero-knowledge proof systems. Currently working at Tokamak Network in Singapore, where I conduct research on zk-EVM verification and develop innovative blockchain solutions.

I hold a Master in Finance from ESSEC Business School (ranked #4 worldwide by Financial Times in 2020) and a Master of Engineering in Statistics and Signal Processing from Institut Mines Telecom Lille Douai.

My expertise spans from deep technical blockchain development (Solidity, Rust, Zero-Knowledge Proofs) to financial markets and derivatives trading. I'm passionate about pushing the boundaries of blockchain technology, particularly in areas like zk-SNARKs, DeFi protocols, and smart contract security.

Beyond my primary role, I actively contribute to the blockchain community through teaching blockchain development, and participating in security competitions/private audits.

Links

📧 Email 🐙 GitHub 📝 Medium 🐦 X (Twitter)

Education

ESSEC Business School: 2019 - 2021 Master in Finance - Major in Financial Markets
Ranked #4 Worldwide by Financial Times (2020)
Relevant coursework: Advanced Financial Markets, Portfolio Theory & Investment Analysis, Financial Risk Management, Trading Volatility
Institut Mines Telecom Lille Douai: 2014 - 2019 Master of Engineering in Statistics and Signal Processing
Relevant coursework: Information Systems Management, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Time Series Analysis, Modern Signal Processing
Lycée Français Paul Valéry, Meknès: 2014 Baccalauréat, Scientific Section - Obtained with Highest Honors

Professional Experience

Tokamak Network, Singapore: Mar 2023 - Present
ZKP Researcher / Blockchain Developer (2 years)
  • Co-designed a novel zk-Rollup architecture focused on on-chain privacy; awarded grants from both the Ethereum Foundation and Tokamak Foundation.
  • Designed both off-chain and on-chain state transition mechanisms for the zk-Rollup protocol.
  • Implemented a pseudo-random number generation (PRNG) algorithm for the zk-SNARK backend protocol
  • Submitted a paper about Optimizing Backend Verification in zk-Rollup Architectures (published as an archive on e-print).
  • Conducted in-depth research on zk-EVM verification and gas consumption on Ethereum mainnet. Published four medium articles related to zk-Rollups gas optimization.
  • Designed and implemented smart contracts for the Tokamak zk-EVM (zk-SNARK) zk-proof verification.
  • Developed a collateralized NFT framework, enabling NFTs to be backed by staked tokens - currently drafting an Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)
  • Spearheaded an NFT project using Verifiable Delay Functions (VDF) for randomness generation
  • Designed and implemented a Liquid Staking Token (Wrapped Staked TON), an index-based token for enhanced liquidity
  • Reviewed and enhanced the staking v2 protocol code base with new features including fast withdrawals
Founder (Defiesta), Paris: Feb 2021 - Dec 2023
Full-stack Blockchain Developer (3 years)
  • Created and launched Defiesta Room, an interactive Web3 learning platform where students compete weekly and earn rewards
  • Developed a Decentralized Exchange on L1 and L2s transforming Impermanent Loss into Impermanent Gain
  • Audited smart contracts through manual reviews, functional testing, and fuzz testing
  • Participated in Code4rena competitions, detecting High/Medium severity bugs in DeFi protocols
  • Taught comprehensive blockchain development course to 100+ students, covering Ethereum and smart contracts
Natixis, Paris: Jul 2020 - Mar 2021
Exotic Equity Derivatives Trader Assistant (9 months)
  • Verified pricing on all team transactions and computed volatility, dividend, and repo bumps
  • Developed algorithms improving Stochastic Volatility pricing on Structured products (Autocalls, Phoenix)
  • Enhanced hedging strategies resulting in significant cost improvements

Notable Projects & Contributions

Tokamak zk-Rollup contracts

Developed the Layer 1 (L1) smart contracts responsible for state transitions and channel management. Created a simplified Merkle Patricia Trie contract for creating channel state trie

Tokamak zk-EVM

Developed the backend infrastructure for Tokamak's zk-EVM implementation, enabling efficient zero-knowledge proof verification on Ethereum

Collateralized NFT Framework

Innovative NFT backing mechanism with staked tokens - drafting EIP for Ethereum Foundation

VDF-based NFT Project

Implemented Verifiable Delay Functions for provable randomness in NFT generation

Liquid Staking Token (WSTON)

Index-based token enhancing liquidity and flexibility for staked assets

DEX with Impermanent Gain

Revolutionary approach to transform Impermanent Loss into gains for liquidity providers

Technical Skills

Blockchain Development

  • Solidity
  • Rust
  • Zero-Knowledge Proofs
  • Hardhat & Foundry
  • Web3.js & Ethers.js
  • Smart Contract Security

Programming Languages/Frameworks

  • JS/TS
  • React.js
  • Next.js
  • AWS
  • Convex
  • Python

Languages

  • French - Native
  • English - Fluent (TOEIC: 920)
  • Arabic - Bilingual
  • German - Basics

Resources & Writing

Contact

Email: mehdiberiane@gmail.com

Location: Paris, France

ENS: defiesta.eth