Danny Ryan is an ETH2 researcher at the Ethereum Foundation. Proof of Stake focuses on sharding and other blockchain-related research.
Danny Ryan Life
Danny Ryan is a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation and the lead coordinator for the rollout of Ethereum 2.0. He conducts proof of Stake, sharding and other research on blockchain networks.
Ryan learned about Bitcoin while in college, but it did not arouse any long-term interest in him. Although Ethereum was not fully committed to the project until the launch of the DAO in 2016, as it is another matter entirely, it learned about it before its launch.
While working as a freelance developer at the time, he wrote code for several public repositories. He founded a New Orleans meetup group before focusing full-time on Ethereum and being hired by the Ethereum Foundation.
Ryan made it clear at the beginning of 2020 that Ethereum 2.0 would be released before it was finished. Under his tutelage, progress was steady, while various clients gradually signaled their readiness. Multiple testnets were released and audits were completed without major issues.
As the representative of the Ethereum 2.0 effort, Ryan had an influential role in coordinating and pushing developers for a quick launch. Still, he never shied away from sharing the limelight with the developers who did the work.
Some testnets showed some pretty significant issues with opt-in and client errors. Ryan was quick to lead investigative efforts and provide an honest overview of the problems. The efforts of the ETH2 developers were ultimately successful: Ethereum 2.0 was released on December 1, 2020 without any issues.
While the successful Ethereum 2.0 launch is the culmination of years of work, it is still only an intermediate milestone. The coming year will be a real test for Ethereum 2.0 developers, who must implement the latest sharding technology and work towards the transition from the current Ethereum blockchain to proof-of-stake.
Danny Ryan will continue to lead these efforts under the supervision of the community. Many delays in Ethereum 2.0 development have cast doubt on the foundation’s plans to release a working sharding app in 2021.
After a successful 2020, Ryan and the ETH2 development community have a chance to continue their work and perhaps exceed the expectations of the Ethereum community.
