Fan Zhang

Assistant Professor
Dept of Computer Science
Yale University

I’m broadly interested in computer security and applied cryptography, especially techniques that enable Secure Decentralized Systems, a novel class of computer systems with unique security properties (such as transparency, verifiability, decentralized trust and governance).

My research aims to advance the technical foundation of decentralized systems, analyze the security of real-world deployments, and build practical tools to support applications in socially important domains.

I’m also affiliated with IC3, Center for Distributed Confidential Computing (CDCC) and Center for Algorithms, Data, and Market Design at Yale (CADMY).

At Yale, I teach Intro to Blockchain and Real-World Cryptography.

Updates

📌📣 DECO, the first zkTLS protocol we devised in 2019, is now in Chainlink’s Platform Privacy Suite.
08/25🎉 Received a collaborative NSF award to work on TEE powered Confidential Genome Imputation and Analytics.
08/25✈️ Recent talks: IC3 Blockchain Camp, NoConsensus@SBC25, and ETH NYC'25.
04/25📣 New paper Insecurity Through Obscurity: Veiled Vulnerabilities in Closed-Source Contracts is online. Also check out the nice highlight by EigenPhi.
03/25🎉 “Decentralization of Ethereum’s Builder Market” is accepted to IEEE S&P 2025. Congrats, Sen!
02/25📣 “AUCIL: An Inclusion List Design for Rational Parties” is online.
01/25🎉 Qelect is accepted to USENIX Security 2025.
01/25🎉 Prooφ is accepted to FC 2025.
10/24📣 RediSwap is online. RediSwap is a novel AMM that captures MEV at the application level and refunds it fairly among users and liquidity providers.

Research: Secure Decentralized Systems

Building computer systems with transparency and integrity guarantees is a dream of security and cryptography research. As society grows more dependent on digital infrastructure, this goal is more urgent than ever. Over the past decade, Secure Decentralized Systems, powered by cryptography and large-scale consensus protocols, have emerged as a promising path toward this vision, with early success in areas like stablecoins and Decentralized Finance.

My research advances the technical foundations of decentralized systems to enable transformative applications. Specifically, I work on:

  1. Design and improve cryptographic building blocks for decentralized systems,
  2. Identify and defend against attacks driven by economic incentives, and
  3. Enable and secure novel applications, including decentralized finance, social media, and AI.

To learn more, check out the research page, or my publications.

Interested in working with me?

  • I’m looking for one PhD student to start in 2026 Fall. Please read here for more information.
  • For Yale undergrads: we enjoy having undergrad researchers in our lab to help them gain research experience. Feel free to get in touch.
  • We have openings for Postdocs, visiting scholars, and summer interns for strong candidates.

Contact