Kristian Kostal

I am currently several years after finishing my Ph.D. (2020), where I was focusing on interoperability between blockchain networks. One of the partial challenges in the dissertation thesis was on scalability issues, where I studied Layer-2 techniques, especially with the use of Zero-knowledge proofs. In the last 3 years, I've been working on practical use cases of blockchain networks in different domains of computer science research. Mentionable are smart grids, e-voting platforms, and asset-sharing platforms with privacy preservation. My most notable publication in the context of the project proposal is a Zero-knowledge privacy-preserving bridge for transferring assets between different networks. I have been awarded for the best Ph.D. thesis at both faculty and university levels and three times in a row for best teacher of the faculty. I served as a Slovak Representative for European blockchain services infrastructure within the European Blockchain Partnership (European Commission) and, I am one of the authors of policy-making document from OECD for Slovakia on how to better adopt blockchain technology in public sector (Scoping Paper on the Potential of Blockchain to Promote Trust in Public Institutions and Policy Making). I have authored 20 publications with more than 300 citations and my H-index is 7.