C A Carr

I am a Lecturer at the University of Exeter, specialising in cryptography and blockchain technology. My research has looked into some of the most pressing issues in this domain, such as scalability, decentralization, and energy consumption. My teaching experience includes courses on Blockchain, Cryptography, Number Theory, Information Security and Fintech. I recently designed and finished a lecture series on Smart Contracts for the Spring 2023 semester.

Before joining Exeter, I held a Wallscourt Fellow role in Financial Technology at UWE Bristol. Prior to that, I held a post-doctoral research and innovation position at the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where I worked on the development of blockchain technology for the Nordic startup Graphchain AS. At the same time I held a role as a subject matter expert on Cryptography and Blockchain for Deloitte Oslo.

I completed my PhD in 2019, as part of a joint programme between NTNU and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), under the supervision of Colin Boyd, Kristian Gjøsteen, and Xavier Boyen. My doctoral thesis, titled “Towards Fairness and Decentralisation in Modern Cryptocurrencies,” was selected for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis award and can be accessed here: thesis. I also hold a Master’s degree with distinction in Cryptography from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Bachelor’s degree with honours in Mathematics from Keele University.

I am a founding member and currently serve as the CEO of the blockchain startup Lybell, developing on from work inspired as part of the Graphchain project at NTNU and from my own research.

I have an Erdős number of 4.

Interests

My interests encompass topics within cryptography and blockchain technology. I am especially interested in the challenges related to scalability, sustainability, and secure consensus mechanisms in blockchain and distributed ledger technology.

I also occasionally give talks on various blockchain-related subjects, and have given media interviews. Please note that I specialise in the more technical aspects of these technologies.