The 2025 Ethereum Foundation internship submissions are now open! Both research and development teams have available roles. Applications will be accepted until December 9, 2024.
The Ethereum Foundation is initiating its inaugural formal summer internship program in 2025 designed to cultivate the upcoming generation of Ethereum developers and researchers.
Interns will collaborate with EF teams and, with guidance from dedicated mentors, directly contribute to significant projects in crucial areas such as protocol security, account abstraction, scaling research, and client development, among others. For instance, a previous intern engaged in MEV smoothing research before eventually becoming a full-time member of the EF.
Who is this aimed at?
Candidates should be knowledgeable about the Ethereum protocol and ready for full-time engagement. If they are currently enrolled in university, they should be at an advanced level of their academic program. Applicants should exhibit a clear interest in the specialism of the team they wish to join.
Program Details
Chosen interns will receive a short-term project assignment along with a mentor, and they should anticipate working relatively independently. Interns may choose to work remotely or at one of the EF offices located in Boulder (USA) or Berlin (Germany). Furthermore, interns will be invited to an in-person cohort gathering during the summer.
EPF compared to internship
The internship is tailored for those who can commit to a specified ‘summer time’ obligation with a general skill set and a motivation to learn how to utilize that skill set within the Ethereum ecosystem. In contrast, the current Ethereum Protocol Fellowship is a six-month initiative that presupposes extensive knowledge and a willingness for full-time engagement in Ethereum.
Application Procedure
Applications are now open and will conclude on December 9, 2024. Initial evaluations will be succeeded by formal interviews, with the notification process anticipated to be concluded by January 10.
The program is intended to last approximately 12 weeks, with start and end dates adaptable according to university schedules.
You can submit your applications for the positions here:
Mentorship Groups
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Protocol Security – The Protocol Security Research division is responsible for safeguarding the integrity of Ethereum. Through collaboration, thorough code inspections, research, the development of advanced tools, and real-world simulations, we concentrate on securing the network and its vital components. Our proactive approach includes overseeing the bug bounty program, consistently monitoring the network, and cooperating with client teams. We are dedicated to identifying and reducing risks to the Ethereum mainnet. Explore the Protocol Security README
Preferred qualifications: Coursework or experience in cybersecurity
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Robust Incentives Group – The Robust Incentives Group is a research collective focused on the exploration of mechanism design and cryptoeconomics for Ethereum. Our project outlines the various ways incentives affect users and protocol stakeholders, both directly and indirectly. Whenever feasible, we recommend mechanisms that restore incentive compatibility and overall system effectiveness. Our methods are diverse, ranging from formal analysis to data science and simulations, as we engage academics and broader audiences through grants, publications, and presentations. Discover our work on our website and keep up with our updates via our newsletter!
Preferred qualifications: Understanding of RIG initiatives, prior experience or publications in mechanism design or economics research
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Portal Network – The Portal Network is a novel networking architecture for Ethereum that attempts to address the data availability challenge for “light” nodes without relying on or overly burdening full nodes, by disseminating the necessary data in small segments across the network. Learn more about the ethereum.org overview, presentations from Devcon SEA 2024, Devcon Bogotá 2022, and the network specifications.
Preferred qualifications: Computer science coursework, some knowledge of Rust
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Testing – The EEST initiative manages the reference tests for the Ethereum protocol, utilized by all clients to identify consensus discrepancies during new hard-fork implementations and regressions.
The team is also responsible for maintaining and upgrading the tools, frameworks, documentation, and guidance necessary to assist client developers with test consumption, which includes the EEST, the legacy ethereum/tests repository, and integration tests in the form of various hive simulators.
Discover more in the Devcon SEA 2024 presentation regarding EEST.Desired skills: Testing frameworks (Hive) and approaches (fuzzing, simulations)
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EELS – The EELS initiative is responsible for the primary Ethereum protocol reference specification written in Python, which aims to substitute the yellow-paper specification and serve as a vital resource for the EIP process to offer a prototyping framework for new enhancements.
Explore the Devcon SEA 2024 presentation on EELS.Desired skills: Specification writing, technical documentation, formal verification
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Geth – Geth (go-ethereum) represents a Go implementation of Ethereum – a portal into the decentralized web. Geth has been a fundamental element of Ethereum since its inception. Geth was among the first Ethereum implementations, making it the most resilient and extensively tested client.
Geth functions as an Ethereum execution client, managing transactions, deployment, and execution of smart contracts, and includes an integrated computer known as the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Running Geth together with a consensus client transforms a computer into an Ethereum node.
For additional information, visit Geth’s webpage.Desired skills: Go, devp2p
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Account Abstraction – The AA group concentrates on the advancement, expansion, and coordination initiatives associated with account abstraction and chain abstraction, which began via the ERC-4337 standard, and continues through further standards and protocol-level modifications on L1 as well as L2s.
The team is tasked with research and development of various elements and standards of account abstraction, chain abstraction, and cross-L2 communication. It also provides support to entities in the ecosystem that are building upon these standards while promoting their general adoption in the field through education, events, grants, and other growth methodologies.Desired skills: Solidity, EVM, ERC4337, wallet architecture
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Generalist – If you have a particular project related to the general Ethereum governance process or another core protocol initiative, propose it!
Skills: This position is intended for outstanding individuals with specific projects in mind and a deep understanding of the Ethereum governance process.
