Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Nicholas Kokalis is a Stanford Ph.D. graduate and the first Stanford Decentralized Applications course instructor, CS359B, in 2018. His work focuses on combining distributed systems and human-computer interaction to bring cryptocurrency to everyday people.
He began his career with a BS and MS in Computer Science, which led him to earn his PhD at Stanford and then continue as a postdoctoral researcher in the Computer Science Department there. Through his PhD and postdoctoral work, Nicholas created an early framework for writing “smart contracts” on fault-tolerant distributed systems, and multiple human-centered products including an online social application with over 20 million users and a crowd-powered email assistant.
As a strong and long-standing believer in the technical, financial, and social potential of cryptocurrencies, he is determined to push them beyond their current boundaries and is committed to bringing the power of blockchain to more people. By establishing Pi Network, he aims to achieve this by improving the current blockchain experience and enabling everyone to create, build, and experience the future of online life through a user-centered design philosophy.
