Benedikt Bünz bio photo

Benedikt Bünz

Benedikt Bünz is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at NYU Courant. He also cofounded and am the chief scientist of Espresso Systems. He researches applied cryptography, consensus and game theory, especially as it relates to cryptocurrencies. His work focuses on enhancing the privacy, usability and security of blockchain protocols.

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Stuff I do outside of research (probably outdated but still somewhat true)

Running

I am a competitive mid-distance runner. I usually race between 800m and 5000m on the track but also run cross country and road races up to 10km. My main focus is on the 1500 and the mile. I currently mostly train with Peninsula Distance Club under Dena Evans. I am also associated with and am racing for the Stanford Running Club, Hamburg Running and LC Regensdorf. Feel free to add me on Strava. My personal records are 3:51.5 for 1500m and 14:55 for 5km and 31:40 for 10km and my proudest accomplishment is winning multiple Swiss relay championships with LC Regensdorf. My short term goal is to qualify for the German national championships and long term I would like to run under 4 minutes for the mile. My main motivation though is that I enjoy running and pushing myself to my physical limits.

A running picture


Traveling

I have been very blessed with the opportunity to travel a lot. After graduating from my Masters in the summer of 2016, I decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine and bike across the United States. 40 days after I had left the Bay Area I reached the White House in Washington D.C. While it was hardly a life changing spiritual experience, it was certainly an adventure. If you want to know more about it you can read my way too detailed travel journal at crazyguyonabike.com. Thanks to this bike trip and the subsequent road trip home I have already visited 38 states. I am planning to get all 50 by the end of my PhD so if you know a good excuse to go to Nebraska let me know. Recently, I have become an expert on whether purchasing 30 year old RVs makes sense. The answer is no. A biking picture