Director, Research

Stellar Development Foundation; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Health and dental coverage

Parental leave

401K with 4% match

Lumen-denominated grants

Office lunch & snacks

Job summary

Stellar Development Foundation in San Francisco seeks a senior research leader to guide a strategic, multi-year program in cryptography, distributed systems, and incentive design.

You will recruit and mentor a diverse team, partner with academia and industry, and translate research insights into protocol development and ecosystem standards. This mission-driven role offers real-world impact and opportunities to shape open standards and open-source collaboration.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Cryptography, Distributed Systems, or a related field.
• 10+ years of research experience in academia or industry.
• Proven leadership of multi-year research programs.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead a long-term scientific research agenda aligned with SDF's mission.
• Build and mentor a diverse research team from interns to senior researchers.
• Foster academia-industry collaborations for joint publications and open-source work.
• Translate research outcomes into product strategy, standards, and protocol development.
• Represent SDF at conferences and standards bodies; contribute to public discourse.

Skills

Research leadership

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Academic/industry partnerships

Strategy and program management

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Are you interested in advancing open technology that supports equitable access to the global financial system? The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is expanding its scientific and technological research efforts and looking for someone to help guide that growth with purpose, depth, and a commitment to the public good.

Since 2014, SDF has stewarded the development of the Stellar network, an open-source, large-scale blockchain platform that enables inclusive, efficient financial infrastructure around the world. SDF Research plays a critical role in this mission, focusing on both practical and long-term challenges in distributed systems, cryptography, mechanism design, and the broader societal impact of decentralized technologies.

We believe open research, open standards, and open-source software are essential to building trustworthy and accessible systems. In this role, you’ll help define and grow a research agenda rooted in these values, working closely with academic and industry partners, guiding and supporting a team that brings together diverse technical and disciplinary perspectives, and contributing to the technical foundations that power a more inclusive financial future.

This is a unique opportunity to apply deep research experience in a mission-driven environment where thoughtful, collaborative work has real-world impact.

In this role, you will:

• Shape the research vision: Define and lead a long-term scientific research agenda that supports SDF’s mission while contributing to broader conversations in computer science and decentralized systems. Identify both mission-aligned applied challenges and foundational open problems to guide internal research and community engagement.

• Foster deep academic and industry collaboration: Build strong, lasting partnerships with top researchers, labs, and institutions. Support initiatives that lead to joint publications, open-source contributions, and shared advancement of knowledge—both within and beyond the Stellar ecosystem.

• Balance innovation with exploration: Oversee a portfolio of research efforts ranging from mission-critical applications to blue-sky investigations in areas such as cryptography, distributed systems, and incentive design. Champion rigorous thinking that leads to practical outcomes and advances the state of the art.

• Build and support a strong, mission-driven research team: Recruit and develop a diverse group of research scientists and applied researchers, from early-career PhD interns to experienced domain experts. Create a supportive environment where a range of perspectives, backgrounds, and research styles can thrive.

• Translate insights into real-world impact: Ensure that research outcomes inform product strategy, ecosystem standards, and protocol development—helping strengthen Stellar’s role in building accessible, resilient financial infrastructure.

• Engage with the global research community: Represent SDF at conferences, academic workshops, and standards bodies. Contribute to the broader discourse on decentralized systems and financial inclusion through publications, presentations, and thought leadership.

You have:

• PhD in Computer Science, Cryptography, Distributed Systems, or a related field.

• 10+ years of research experience in academia (e.g., tenured or tenure-track faculty) or industry (e.g., senior research scientist or director-level role).

• Strong track record of high-impact contributions, such as peer-reviewed publications, patents, open-source projects, or foundational technical work.

• Demonstrated experience leading research programs or teams, including setting strategy and managing multi-year initiatives.

Bonus Points if (optional):

• Experience working in both academic and applied research settings, with an ability to translate deep technical insights into practical impact.

• Familiarity with open-source software development practices and/or participation in open standards communities (e.g., IETF, W3C).

• Proven ability to collaborate across disciplines and institutions, including with academic labs, research consortia, and industry partners.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders, represent the organization publicly, and contribute to technical and policy discussions.

• Commitment to mentoring and supporting researchers across career stages, and to fostering a collaborative and inclusive research culture.

• Interest in or experience with the societal, economic, and ethical dimensions of decentralized systems, particularly in the context of financial access and inclusion.

We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $210,000 - $350,000 depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits:

USA Benefits/Perks:

Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependents

Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break

Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for both non-birthing and birthing parents, as well as up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for birthing parents

Gym reimbursement ($80 per month)

Life & ADD (up to $50K)

Short & Long term disability

401K with 4% match

Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts

Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution

Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution

Family building benefits through Kindbody

Wellbeing benefits (One Medical, Rightway, Headspace)

L&D budget of $1,500/year

Daily lunch and snacks in office

Company retreats

About Stellar

Stellar is more than a blockchain. Powered by a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network made for financial products and services and a thriving and passionate ecosystem that includes a non-profit organization driven by a mission, Stellar is paving the path to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology. Built with speed and low costs in mind, the Stellar network provides builders and financial institutions worldwide a platform to issue assets, and to send and convert currencies in real time creating real world utility. Founded in 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) supports the continued development and growth of the Stellar network and also serves the ecosystem of NGOs, corporations, universities, small businesses, governments, and solo entrepreneurs building on the Stellar network through tooling, funding and strategic collaborations. Together, Stellar is where blockchain meets the real world.

About the Stellar Development Foundation

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting change-makers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations. SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else.

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SDF is committed to diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. SDF does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal law.