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Who Are We?

Obol Labs is a remote-first research and software development team focused on Proof of Stake infrastructure for public blockchain networks. Specific topics of focus are Internet Bonds, Distributed Validator Technology, and Multi-Operator Validation. The core team includes +20 members spread across +10 countries.

The core team is building the Obol Network, a protocol to foster trust-minimized staking through multi-operator validation. This will enable low-trust access to Ethereum staking yield, which can be used as a core building block in various Web3 products.

The Network

The network can be best visualized as a work layer that sits directly on top of the base layer consensus. This work layer is designed to provide the base layer with more resiliency and decentralization as it scales. In this chapter of Ethereum, we will move on to the next great scaling challenge, which is stake centralization. Layers like Obol are critical to the long-term viability and resiliency of public networks, especially networks like Ethereum.

Obol as a layer is focused on scaling main chain staking by providing permissionless access to Distributed Validators. The network utilizes a middleware implementation of Distributed Validator Technology (DVT), to enable the operation of distributed validator clusters that can preserve validators' current client and remote signing configurations.

Similar to how roll-up technology laid the foundation for L2 scaling implementations, we believe DVT will do the same for scaling the consensus layer while preserving decentralization. Staking infrastructure is entering its protocol phase of evolution, which must include trust-minimized staking networks that can be plugged into at scale. We believe DVT will evolve into a widely used primitive and will ensure the security, resiliency, and decentralization of public networks.

The Obol Network develops and maintains four core public goods that will eventually work together through circular economics:

The DV Launchpad, a User Interface for bootstrapping and managing Distributed Validators

Charon, a middleware Golang client that enables validators to run in a fault-tolerant, distributed manner

Obol Managers, a set of solidity libraries for the formation of Distributed Validators tailored to different use cases such as DeFi, Liquid Staking, and Fractionalized Deposits 

Obol Testnets, a set of ongoing public incentivized testnets that enable any sized operator to test their deployment before serving for the Ethereum Main net

Sustainable Public Goods

Obol is inspired by previous work on Ethereum public goods and experimenting with circular economics. We believe that to unlock innovation in staking use cases, a credibly neutral layer must exist for innovation to flow and evolve vertically. Without this layer, highly available uptime will continue to be a moat.

The Obol Network will become an open, community-governed, self-sustaining project over the coming months and years. Together we will incentivize, build, and maintain distributed validator technology that makes public networks a more secure and resilient foundation to build on top of.

Job Description

Research Engineers are passionate about DVT and have a thorough understanding of the Ethereum Stack. This role is responsible for charting the next order of magnitude improvement in Distributed Validator Technology by researching and prototyping novel cryptography, solidity, and consensus implementations. At Obol we are stripping Ethereum clients down to their fundamentals and rebuilding them in a highly-available by default, byzantine tolerant architecture, capable of being run by multiple operators. This project will push the envelope on distributed systems and their coordination via smart contracts beyond what has been seen in the space to date.

Responsibilities

• Prototype and design cluster migration mechanisms, and key resharing schemes that allow for operator addition and replacement, and validator addition. 
• Research manners to objectively prove DV performance to a solidity contract using ZKPs, VDFs, MPC schemes and the EVM consensus layer interface. 
• Research manners to reduce the cost of these performance measures by taking computation into a state channel layer between operators.
• Integrate novel consensus mechanisms into charon to reduce communication rounds, add attributability, and to increase scale and performance of DVs.
• Develop EVM smart contracts for the provisioning of Ethereum distributed validators
• Participate in the hiring processes of the Obol Technical Team

• Developing open-source public goods for permissionless networks
• Solving groundbreaking problems in distributed cryptography and crypto-economics
• Fully Remote, flexible working hours (Independent contractor)
• Unlimited paid time off (based on our company policy)
• Personal hardware & professional training budget
• Annual opportunity to attend DevCon (or a blockchain conference of choice)
• Opportunity to collaborate with industry-leading cryptography researchers and advisors

🕰️ In order to scale efficiently, we focus our hiring on candidates able to work during the standard business hours of the following timezones: GMT-8 to GMT+3.

This does not mean that you have to be located in these timezones to get the job but must be able to work the bulk of your time during their standard business hours.

Hala is a social enterprise working to transform the nature of protection and accountability in the world's toughest places by democratizing advanced defense, sensing, and artificial intelligence technology. Hala is currently saving lives, reducing trauma, and improving resilience for millions of people.

Our team works across the globe and hails from over 15 countries. We speak more than 20 languages and have studied and worked in leading educational, business, research, and government institutions. We are mission-driven thinkers, and we share a deep respect for each other and for the communities that partner with us.

We believe in innovation with purpose, focusing on developing real and applicable technology solutions to the challenges facing the planet. We believe in working ethically and collaboratively and making decisions with transparency. We value flexibility, adaptability, and a good sense of humor.

The Senior Data Scientist is an integral part of the Analytics & AI team. They will support the development of audio and image deep learning, and signal processing algorithms for audio processing. They will design, develop, and evaluate high-performing ML models and DSP algorithms for detecting, estimating, enhancing, and classifying audio, speech, and acoustic sensor data.

This is a full-time, long-term position located in Europe, with a yearly base salary range of 155.150€ - 165.150€. This position is also located in the US, with a yearly base salary range of $169,950 - $179,950.

We'll trust you to:

• Design, develop, and evaluate high-performing ML models and DSP algorithms for detecting, estimating, enhancing, and classifying audio, speech, and acoustic sensor data.
• Design, develop and optimize DSP/ML-based audio processing pipelines. 
• Develop new audio features for ML classification/recognition tasks.
• Develop new deep learning models, scale up, and optimize the performance of existing models.

• A creative and inquisitive problem solver.
• A highly organized individual with demonstrated ability to work independently.
• A strong communicator in both verbal and written forms, who recognizes the importance of documentation.
• A values-driven, trustworthy, and honest person with a passion for helping people in need.

• Masters, or Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science, Signal processing, Machine Learning, or equivalent professional experience.
• Solid experience in designing and implementing audio signal processing algorithms (e.g. speech enhancement, noise cancellation/suppression, adaptive filtering, spatialization, blind source separation, and others.)
• Experience applying ML to audio processing problems.
• Strong programming skills in Python (ability to write clean, correct code while iterating on experiments.) 
• Strong expertise in TensorFlow and/or PyTorch frameworks.
• Expertise in building custom deep learning models (convolutional networks, recurrent architectures, Transformers, etc.), defining careful objective metrics, and performing error analysis.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
•  Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Experience or familiarity with speech recognition.
• Experience or familiarity with image recognition.
• Experience or familiarity with parallel processing or distributed programming.
• Experience or familiarity with C or C++ programming.
• Experience or familiarity with Natural Language Processing.

• Life-saving social impact.
• Competitive salaries.
• Unlimited vacation policy and flexible holidays so you can take time off when needed. All staff takes at least 22 days off plus holidays, including a mandatory 2-week vacation.
• Comprehensive, worldwide healthcare, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family at no cost.
• Paid parental leave.
• Flexible working policy, including the ability to work from home.
•  Computer and other office equipment to help you get your job done.
• A diverse, international community of dedicated, hardworking team players committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and thriving workplace culture.
•  Opportunities for international travel, including program locations and satellite offices.

What happens next:

We will review applications and reach out to candidates advancing to the interview stage on a rolling basis. You should expect an initial screening with one member of our Talent Acquisition team, followed by interviews with team members and the manager for this role, concluding with the opportunity to speak with one of our co-founders. Before the final interview, we will also request references to your previous experience, work ethic, and values.

You will receive confirmation that your application was received, and you’ll also hear back from us whether you’re selected for an interview or not. Please note that we are unable to offer individualized feedback before the first interview round due to the volume of applications we receive.