Field of Expertise
Blockchain, cyber security, user privacy
Expertise
I'm currently Associate Director (Research) at Monash Blockchain Technology Centre, a member of the Monash Cybersecurity Lab, and a Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. I am a recognised emerging world expert in the area of blockchain systems. My research has provided breakthroughs in the blockchain resilience, scalability and applications. The importance and impact of my research have been evidenced by several exclusive and competitive awards. For example, I received the Dean’s Research Impact Award at Monash University (2019); had been a finalist for Endeavour Awards which is a part of the Premier Awards Program in Australia (2019); received Chinese Government Award for Outstanding PhD Scholar Abroad (success rate: 1% worldwide, 2016); and had been a finalist for RAEng Enterprise Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), UK (2015). My works have also achieved global coverage in hundreds of news media including ZDNet, Finder, Toutiao, Sohu, BTC Wires, ScienceDaily, Ethereum World News, EurekAlert!, The US Breaking news, Homeland Security Today, etc. In February 2020, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) released the National Blockchain Roadmap, which recognises my research on blockchain security and anti-money laundering in cryptocurrencies as an example of the world leading blockchain research activities in Australia. For blockchain system security, I’ve identified critical vulnerabilities in several deployed blockchains and their applications (with a total market cap of over AU$30 billion). My research findings, including recommended fixes, were disclosed to and adapted by the associated teams. I developed RepuCoin, the first blockchain system that is able to tolerate a common type of 51% attacks, where an attacker with a majority of computing power rewrites blockchain records. In the last few years, more than a dozen blockchains (e.g. Ethereum Classic and Bitcoin Gold) have been a victim of such attacks, resulting in a loss of over AU$33 million; these attacks would not be possible if RepuCoin was in place.