Lei Yang

About me

I am a cofounder of Mega Labs, a start-up that is building MegaETH, the first Real-Time Blockchain. I received my PhD in Computer Science from MIT in 2024, where I spent 6 years being advised by Mohammad Alizadeh. I was a part of the Networks and Mobile Systems Group (NMS) of MIT CSAIL. My thesis is on efficient consensus and synchronization for distributed systems. I received my SM from MIT in 2020 and my BS in Computer Science from Peking University in 2018.

I love designing and building systems with robust theoretical foundations. My current research focuses on computer network problems in the setting of blockchains. Some examples are DispersedLedger, a framework for building BFT state machine replication protocols that run fast on fluctuating networks; Rateless IBLTs, a family of universal and near-optimal rateless codes for reconciling set differences. I have also published on the security aspect of blockchain protocols. My work has been supported by generous gifts from the Ethereum Foundation.

Occasionally, I write about what I do in my blog. When away from the keyboard, I enjoy hiking, cycling, sailing and travelling. Plus, I am a licensed amateur radio operator. My callsign is KC1NOR.