Blockchain: why (not) the hype?

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This meeting will be preceded by the BCS Edinburgh Branch AGM at 6:15pm.

Synopsis
Blockchain technology has been around for a while now, and to the surprise of many, has not completely died. In this talk you will be given a foundation to identify if blockchains are relevant to what you're doing: It will give an overview of what this new(ish) technology can and cannot do, and detail what importance it has to the world, and likely doesn't have to your business.

About the speaker
Thomas is a PhD student in cryptography at the University of Edinburgh, and part of its the Blockchain Technology lab, as well as a researcher for IOHK. He holds a BSc in computer science, also from the University of Edinburgh.

Thomas' research is primarily into the privacy of distributed protocols, in particular of smart contract systems.